No Pain, No Gain
by Lucytheloo
Summary: The Doctor finds Amy crying in the library one night and has to work out how to help her. Can he save her from her monsters? AU where TATM never happened. Probably not for Rory lovers. Eventual 11/Amy pairing. Rated M for swearing, violence, and abuse.
1. Chapter 1

The Doctor was wandering through the TARDIS corridors, humming quietly to himself when he heard it. The faint sound of crying. He never had been able to ignore that sound.

After pausing for a moment to listen carefully, the Doctor noticed the sound was coming from the library. Straightening his bow tie, the Time Lord walked into the room lined with shelves of books and a large pool in the middle.

There was a small lounge area at the end of the room where a fire burned with blue flames in a large stone hearth, surrounded by old armchairs and sofas but hidden from sight by the various shelves of books.

That area seemed to be the source of the noise.

"Hello?" He called out, slowly beginning to walk through the different piles and stacks of every book in the universe. He was quite proud of his extensive collection, he had to admit. "Who's in here?"

His question was answered when he came across his ginger companion wearing her nightie and dressing gown, huddled up on one of the old sofas. His hearts immediately filled with concern and he stepped forward, placing a tentative hand on her shoulder.

"Amelia? What's wrong?" The Doctor asked, his voice soft as he crouched at his best friend's feet and gently took her hands. Her eyes seemed bloodshot when she looked up at him and had deep, purple bags under them, hinting that she hadn't slept in a while. Glancing at his watch, the Doctor noticed that to her body clock it would be about four in the morning, so why on Earth would she be awake? And, even more concerning, why was she crying?

"D-Doctor.. I'm fine.. I just need some time alone.." Amy whispered, though her voice sounded shaken with.. Fear? Sadness? He hoped it was neither.

"Why? What's happened?" The Doctor asked quietly, not moving an inch.

"Nothing. Nothing's happened, I.. I can't talk about it."

"It can't be nothing if it's an it." He reasoned with a small smile. "You know you can talk to me."

"Doctor, please, just leave me alone!"

And that was when he noticed the bruise. It was light, only just forming on the skin of her cheek.. Or perhaps she'd had it a while and had just covered it up with make-up.

"Who did this?" The Doctor asked, searching her eyes.

Amy fell silent and immediately averting her gaze, seemingly finding a book on the shelf behind him extremely interesting.

"Amelia.." He prompted, only now beginning to notice the other physical changes on his companion's body. There were light scratch marks visible on her arms which interrupted the porcelain skin with a sharp contrast, though he could only see a few centimetres of them before they were covered by the sleeves of her shirt. Why hadn't he noticed them before? There were dark bruises on her neck and left collarbone, though they were old and yellowing. He observed how her fingers seemed a little bonier than normal as he cradled them in his hands, her cheekbones also more prominent. Amy had always been skinny, but now she was becoming thin and gaunt.

The Doctor was pulled from his racing thoughts by the sound of a quiet, scared voice.

"I have to go.. I shouldn't be talking to you."

"Don't be silly, of course you should. Everyone should always talk to their imaginary friend late at night, it's a well known fact." The Doctor stated matter-of-factly, earning a small smile from his companion.

"Who did this to you?" He asked quietly after a pause, dreading her answer. He could already guess, but he wanted Amy to tell him he was wrong. Because surely it wouldn't be..

"Rory."

He looked up at her, eyes seeking hers as if searching for the answers to the millions of questions stinging his mind like angry bees.

"He didn't mean to. It was an accident. Honestly, he was trying to help.." She continued quickly, though her Scottish lilt had become thicker in her words, which the Doctor had learnt often signalled that she was trying not to cry.

"Oh, Amelia.. Why didn't you tell me?" How could anyone do something like this, let alone a man who was supposed to be her loving husband? His friend?

"I can handle it, I'm not a baby."

The Doctor was relieved to hear that even with all Amy must have been put through, she still had her fiery personality.

"But.. I could've helped heal these, at least," He gestured to the bruises and cuts, through paused when she immediately pulled her hands from his gentle grasp and pulled her shirt sleeves down. There was something else she was hiding.. "Amy-"

"I have to go. I'm tired, I-I'm sorry. Goodnight, Doctor." Came her brisk reply, interrupting his unspoken question.

Amy was on her feet and practically running from the room before he could find the words to stop her, to persuade her to stay in the safety of his company. Anger swirled in the pit of the Doctor's stomach, his eyes still glued to the spot she had been sat in a few seconds ago. How dare someone hurt his Amelia.

He had to do something.

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**A/N Second fic, hope you all like it! As always, thanks for reading and any rates and reviews are greatly appreciated! Not sure whether I should continue this one. We'll see how it goes :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Amy Pond had been called many things by various people throughout her life, but never a victim. She'd always been described as a fighter or boisterous, but never the prey. Yet, here she was, curled up into a ball in the corner of the room she had slept in before Rory had joined her and the Doctor in the TARDIS.

It had been building up for a while, ever since the long day when they'd nearly all died at the hands of some alien named the.. Zaraski or Zoroska or something. She hadn't been listening when the Doctor had been telling them about the aliens and their history, so hadn't realised that coughing in front of their high priest was the most offensive thing she could've done. Apparently it was. And so the chase had begun, with Amy, Rory, and the Doctor running for their lives while an angry mob filled with tentacles and five eyes per head raced after them. Once they'd all made it safely inside the TARDIS, the Time Lord and the fiery haired Scot had doubled over laughing, clutching their stomachs as they attempted to control their euphoric hysteria.

"Amy!" Rory had complained, a frown on his brow that never seemed to leave. "We could've been killed! Stop laughing!"

She'd brushed it off with a kiss to his cheek, still attempting to stifle her giggles. "Oh, brighten up Rory. We're fine," she smiled reassuringly at him, running her hands down his arms to take his hands. "See? All intact."

"Yes, but we might've been-"

"Hush! Less talking, more eating. I'm hungry." Amy had interrupted him with a finger on his lips. "Come on."

With that, they left the still chuckling Doctor to fiddle with the console, and walked through the maze of corridors to the kitchen.

"Haven't you had enough?" Rory had asked a little while later, nodding to the slice of cake Amy had been digging into. "I mean.. You want to stay healthy, don't you? Or you might end up losing your speed and stamina. Falling behind. I don't want you in danger.." He'd continued with a smile that seemed a little too calculating.

That was when it had started, Amy now realised. It hadn't been an unusual day in itself, but Rory's small comment had slowly been making itself at home in the back of her mind. She hadn't eaten for the rest of that day, inspecting her stomach in the mirror before she had slid into bed. She'd known Rory to be nice and concerned, so took his comments to heart. She decided that maybe she was eating too much..

Her husband kept slipping in the same types of comments throughout that week and the weeks following, slowly wearing down Amy's happiness and the smile on her face, though she hadn't realised at the time. And then things had started to become a little more physical. They'd been arguing about how close she was to the Doctor, with accusations being flung between them both before Rory finally snapped, the back of his hand sharply slapping her cheek.

"He's not good for you. I don't want you being alone with him anymore," Her husband had hissed before storming out of the room. Amy had stood there, rooted to the spot in shock. It wasn't until the sting on her skin had started to fade that she moved again, blinking back tears furiously and turning to the mirror. She would not cry. She had spent the rest of that night alone in bed, the lump in her throat refusing to budge.

Amy had decided that it must've been a one off thing, as the next day Rory seemed happy and made her breakfast in bed, though neither of them spoke about the events of the previous night. She had begun to feel happy again until a few days later, when Rory had barged into their bedroom as she was just about to fall asleep.

"Amy, wake up. Come on, your husband wants you." He had sneered, slamming the door behind him and flinging himself on the bed.

"Rory, I'm tired.. Let me sleep," Amy replied with a yawn, rubbing her eyes. "Just read a book or something."

But he hadn't read a book. In fact, her husband had been very insistent on not reading a book and instead ignoring her protests, grabbing both of her wrists in his hand and forcing himself on top of her. Her cries were muffled by the bruising kisses he planted on her lips. The rest of the night was a blur in Amy's memory, one she'd tried to block out completely many times before. She'd showered the next morning, scrubbed at her skin until it was as red as her hair and turned the water to the highest temperature she could stand. It must have been a mistake. Rory wouldn't do that to her. He probably just thought she was messing around..

Amy had been getting less sleep since then and had invented many excuses as to why she wouldn't go to bed early, even though that ended up with her falling asleep in the library more often than her staying awake. She got even less sleep when it happened again, and again, and again. By the time Rory punched her in the temple, she was less surprised. Because she had been eating as little as she could without sparking suspicion from the Doctor, coupled with the few hours of sleep she had been getting, Amy could put up little fight when she felt her husband push her to the floor, his foot kicking into her stomach and making her cough on the breath she'd been sucking in. Her eyes burned with unshed tears as he dragged her to her feet with his hand fisted in her hair, his wild looking eyes boring into hers.

"It's your fault," he had spat, "All of this. You made me do it. I told you not to be alone with him, but I saw you today. Do you think I'm blind? Do you think I wouldn't notice? Stupid girl."

Amy had crumpled to the ground when he had released her, showered again in the morning and had coated her face in make up in an attempt to hide the bruise forming on her skin. He had only just missed her eye. The next time, she wasn't so lucky. Explaining to the Doctor that she'd received her black eye by walking into a door was harder than she had thought, though he seemed to accept the story after ten minutes of questioning. Half of her was relieved, the other half distraught.

The week after had been the worst. Every night Rory had found her and dragged her back to their room. Her lungs burned for breath and tears streamed down her cheeks when he had placed his hands around her neck, squeezing tightly to cut off her blood supply. Her cries were muffled by the pillows her face was pressed into when Rory had begun to become a little more inventive with the uses of his belt, lashing it across her back and thighs. Every morning Amy would put on more make-up and wear less revealing clothes, the disgust she felt for herself growing with each barb her husbands words wrapped around her.

But back to the present. The Doctor had seen her bruises. Had seen the scratches clawed into her skin by Rory's nails. Had seen her a complete mess in the library. He had finally noticed that something was wrong. Amy knew she could hide the worst from him.. She could hide the welts littered across her skin made by the husband she thought had loved her. She could declare that what the Doctor thought he had seen was simply bruising from where she had fell in the console room during a bumpy flight. But what Amy couldn't do, was take back her admittance that it was Rory. Her best friend knew now, and there was nothing she could do about it. no matter how hard she wished.

Rory would kill her, surely. He wouldn't think that whipping her with his belt would be enough this time, as far as she could guess.

Amy was pulled from her thoughts by the door opening. No one came in here anymore but her. It was her sanctuary and she doubted anybody even remembered it existed. Her heart was pounding loudly in her chest as she saw the figure standing in the doorway and she wanted nothing more than for the darkness she was sat in to swallow her up. She couldn't face him again.. Not after what had just happened.

"Amy."

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**Hello again! Thanks for all of the rates and reviews for chapter one, and of course, thanks for reading! I wanted to give a little backstory to what had been happening to Amy, so in the next chapter we might see what the Doctor does. As always, all rates and reviews appreciated! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

"Amy." The Doctor murmured, squinting into the darkness of the room. He could just about make out a figure curled into a ball in the corner. He was slowly able to make out her features as his eyes adjusted to the lack of light, watching his ginger companions attempt to muffle her sobs with her hand tightly over her mouth as she trembled. This was all a big mess. The anger he had felt had faded, slipping to the back of his mind as concern took over. "Hey.. Hey, it's only me. I promise I'm not going to hurt you, I'm not angry.."

"Like you'd ever hurt me," Amy scoffed, her hands falling into her lap as she rolled her eyes at him before falling silent once more. "I.. Sorry.. Sorry, I didn't mean it to come out like that." She muttered, her gaze immediately dropping to the floor.

"Don't apologise. There's no need to with what you've been through.. With what he's put you through." The Doctor replied, pausing for a moment before he stepped forwards and settled himself beside her, gently patting her knee. She'd just told him that she wasn't afraid of him hurting her, so surely she wouldn't push him away? "I just want to help you."

Amy kept her gaze on her hands as her fingers twisted together, a worried frown on her brow. She knew she could trust the Doctor, but how could he help her now? How could he change anything that had happened? She still loved Rory, he was her husband after all, but it would be nice to have a little break from his anger.

"Listen.. I want to take you to the med bay. I want to heal the injuries you've got. Will you let me do that?"

"I'm not meant to be alone with you." She stated, finally daring to look up at him and meet his gaze. "He'll get mad if he finds out.. I need to get back to Rory."

The Time Lord paused. He didn't want to take away her free will as her husband seemed to have done, but he didn't want to let her go back to Rory either. He would try and persuade her, but wouldn't restrain her if she really wanted to leave, the Doctor decided. "Amy, you're not safe with him. Please, I won't look at anything you don't want me seeing. All I'll do is put a little bit of cream on the bruises to speed up the healing processes. It won't hurt and I won't use needles, trust me." He smiled reassuringly to her, reaching forwards to carefully cup the cheek that wasn't bruised and brushing his thumb across her cheekbone.

"Rory says I shouldn't trust you. He said you're getting tired of us but you're too nice to say.. That we're too old for you."

It was the Doctor's turn to scoff at her words. Or rather, Rory's words. "Rory says a lot of things, but that doesn't mean you should believe them all. Besides, his nose wouldn't be that big if he didn't tell lies." That comment was rewarded with a weak smile from his best friend as she gently bumped their shoulders together.

"Oi! His nose doesn't compare with your chin." Amy mumbled and released a quiet laugh, surprising herself. How long had it been since she'd last laughed?

"Not the point," he continued with a grin, sticking his tongue out at her childishly for a moment.

Amy simply rolled her eyes at him and fell silent once more.

"How about you come and sleep in my room tonight?" The Doctor asked before immediately regretting his choice of words. "Not like that!" He continued before Amy could speak, "just.. Sleep there. I'll be in the console room and you can lock the door from the inside. No one would get in if you didn't want them to."

A few minutes passed, the offer hanging in the air as the ginger Scot contemplated her decision. She didn't want to make Rory even more mad.. She dreaded to think what he'd do if he found out she'd been sleeping in the Doctor's room. But.. He'd promised it was safe and she was curious as to what his room was like. "Okay.." She replied finally with a small nod. "Yeah.. Thank you. That sounds good."

A weight seemed to lift off the Doctor's chest at her agreement at her reply, and he was suddenly grinning despite himself. "Brilliant. Shall I lead the way, madam?" He asked, hopping to his feet and dipping into a low bow as he held his hand out to her.

Another smile graced Amy's lips as she took his hand, easing herself carefully to her feet with her best friend's support. She couldn't help the wince as twinges of pain shot through her body, biting down hard on her lip to prevent any sound from coming out. She was strong. She wouldn't let the hurt show.

"Are you okay?" The Doctor asked in concern, quickly looking over her body in an attempt to figure out where she was hurting.

"Fine." Amy muttered through gritted teeth, gasping when she finally straightened up and felt her clothing tug against the welts on her back. "No-no,

I'm fine." She held her hand up to silence the Doctor, her breathing steadying after a while. "Let's just go."

A little while later and Amy was in the Doctor's bed, tucked under the covers with him perched on the edge. His room had black paint on the walls and ceiling, though they were all covered with different trinkets and gadgets hung from the wall or somehow floating just beneath the ceiling. In any other situation Amy would've asked why? Was the gravity higher up weaker? Was it some sort of suspended animation? But right now, she was simply too exhausted. The walls of the room were covered in shelves lined with pictures of people Amy had once glimpsed before on the screen in the console room. The Doctor's companions, she realised. It was interesting to see all the different faces, young and old, sometimes repeated quite a few times. She noticed a girl with short black hair that could have been a very dark brown. Her name was Susan, going by the name on the frame of the picture. Her image covered the shelves many times. Another girl she noticed had dyed blonde hair with brown roots at the end. She appeared as much as the Susan girl did, but was captured with many different people. One man she always seemed to be gravitating towards was a brunette with brilliant spiky hair, dressed in a pinstripe suit. The other man she seemed especially close to was a lean, tall man with cropped dark hair and piercing eyes. Something told her that this man was the Doctor. The picture of a ginger woman caught her eye, a small note attached to the silver frame surrounding the picture. "Sorry." Amy wondered who each person was, where their families were and what they'd already seen.. She even wondered what had happened to them. Why had they left the Doctor? A desk was pushed up against the wall, piled high with various alien tools and contraptions that she didn't even try to understand, the uses of each would probably just confuse her. What must have been hundreds of books were lined up across the walls and scattered across the floor which was a plush white carpet and very nice to touch, some half open whilst others were closed with what appeared to be bow ties keeping the Doctor's place or pages of interest. There was one wardrobe at the end of the king size bed that was covered in TARDIS blue sheets and two silver pillows, but other than that no sign of any clothes. Did he even have night clothes? He'd told her that he had terrible nightmares when he slept, and so refrained from doing so. Apparently Time Lords didn't need sleep, it was optional. Amy wanted to help him with them, someday.

Amy would ask the Doctor later, but for now she was listening to the fairy tale he was capturing her imagination with. It was about a dragon and an oversized wasp. The dragon was cursed with never being able to leave its cave or it would burst into flames, whilst the wasp dearly wanted to visit him as they were old friends. He was telling her how the wasp used it's wings to beat out the flames encroaching the dragon when Amy fell asleep, dreaming of huge wasps and ancient dragons.

When Amy woke, the Doctor was sat in a ratty old arm chair, his legs crossed and his chin rested thoughtfully on his hand. She tried to ignore the fluttering feeling in her stomach at the sight of him. "Morning.." She mumbled, slowly sitting up with the sheets drawn up to her chin.

"Ah, good morning Pond," the Doctor responded with a grin, looking up at her. "I stayed in here for the night, hope you don't mind. I wanted to keep an eye on you."

"Oh.. No, it's fine." Amy managed to say before the Time Lord was talking again.

"Anyway, no visitors or messages to relay, but I do think it's time for breakfast. How about I make you a full English, maybe with some haggis on the side, and give you breakfast in bed? I reckon you deserve it." He said with a warm smile.

"That.. Sounds really good. Thank you." Amy felt her lips mirroring his smile, feeling truly happy and relaxed for the first time in weeks.

"Brilliant. I'll be back in a minute," he said, crossing the room to press a kiss to her forehead. "Don't move an inch." He instructed before bounding from the room like a puppy.

Could he ever behave like a normal person? Amy laughed at that thought, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. Of course not. Because then he wouldn't be then Doctor. The pictures on the shelves caught her gaze once more and she began to ponder about their lives. What were they like? Their personalities? She was once more interrupted from her thoughts by the door opening and was about to ask the Doctor how he could possibly have been so fast before she froze, the breath catching in her throat. "Rory.."

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**Hello! First of all, I just wanted to say a massive thank you to all of you who reviewed. It's what keeps my stories alive :) Second of all, sorry if this wasn't what you wanted in this chapter, but I do now have a general plan as to what's going to happen. Third of all, thank you for reading! All rates and reviews insanely appreciated :)**


	4. Chapter 4

"Rory, I-"

"I don't want to hear it." Rory interrupted the stuttering Amy with a quick snap, his eyes narrowed as he watched his wife sit up properly in the Doctor's bed. His gaze was cold as he strode forwards, gripping the scruff of her nightie as well as a fistful of her hair. "How dare you. After all I've done for you, this is how you repay me?!" His voice was slowly climbing in height, the words he spat being forced through gritted teeth.

"It's not what it looks like, I promise, it's-" Amy's hurried reply was once again interrupted with the back of Rory's hand, the slap leaving an indentation of his fingers on her skin and a welt from the metal of his ring. How long had they been married? Not long enough for him to hate her this much, surely?

"Look at you. Curled up in his bed like a slut. Did he say he loved you, Amy? Did he promise you the universe? I told you that he was lying! I told you that you would get hurt, and you disobeyed me!" The grip on her hair tightened before yanking downwards, drawing a gasp of pain from Amy's lips as her chin shot upwards in response.

"Please, I swear, nothing happened Rory!"

"STOP LYING!" He roared, her ears ringing as he kicked the bed in frustration. But then, something strange happened. Rory's grip began to loosen in Amy's hair and nightie, his hand slowly rising to her cheek and stroking the porcelain skin. The man didn't seem to notice the blood that wetted his hand, smearing across Amy's cheek. "I'm sorry.. I just want to protect you," he murmured, his voice becoming soft and.. Caring? "I don't want to see him hurt you and I know he will."

Amy knew better than to interrupt Rory, no matter how much she disagreed with what he said. As she slowly looked up to tentatively meet his gaze, she found his eyes kind and loving once more. She hadn't seen that look in months and it mellowed her completely. "It's okay.. I'm.. I'm sorry for being in here.."

Rory smiled warmly and nodded at her words, ignoring her wince as his fingers brushed against the cut on her cheek. "I think we should take some time out. Just a week or so. I think we need to go back home and sort our marriage out. I don't want to lose you." He told her, perching on the edge of the bed, "All I want is a week alone, just so that we can talk. It'll be a good break and we'll both relax."

Rory looked so convinced by his words, so assured that the two of them would be okay, that Amy found herself nodding in agreement, though there was an uncomfortable feeling in the bottom of her stomach that reminded her of dread. "Okay.. Yeah.." She breathed, managing a small smile.

"Amy! I burnt the haggis, but in my defence, I thought it cooked in fire!" Was the shout that interrupted them both. Rory clenched his jaw and stood up once more, his hands in tight fists at his sides. Amy couldn't decide whether to laugh in relief or cry about what she'd just agreed to. "See, when you cut it open it's really not that ba.." The Doctor trailed off, never finishing his sentence as his gaze landed on "Rory."

"Doctor." Rory's tone was clipped, filled with anger once more.

"I was just making breakfast in bed. The TARDIS got Amy lost in the corridors last night, it happens sometimes, and I found her sleeping on the floor. It looked a little uncomfortable so I brought her into my room. Hope you don't mind." He said with a bright, though completely forced, smile.

"Not at all. But Amy has something to tell you." Rory replied, his lips pressing into a straight line when he'd finished talking. The Doctor looked to the ginger in slight surprise, one eyebrow raising in confusion.

"Pond?" He questioned and his gaze immediately softening when she looked at him.

"I.. I don't-"

"We're going back home for a bit. We need a break from space and time to sort ourselves out. Everything's a bit strained in here," Rory interrupted her, shrugging to the Doctor. "We've both decided it's for the best." Amy could only nod dumbly.

"Right.. Are you sure? Amy?" The Doctor was completely confused. And completely worried. Rory must have bullied her into the decision, surely she wouldn't want to leave..

"I'm sure," she muttered in quiet response.

"Okay.. I'll.. Go take us home." The Time Lord said with a slow nod, turning on his heel and striding down the corridor. Of course he knew Rory was bullying her into it. Of course he had seen the red mark and the scratch on her cheek. But what could he do if she wanted to go home?

An hour later and their cases were packed and waiting by the door. Amy had stalled as much as she could, telling Rory she couldn't decide which outfits to take home or disappearing for a few minutes under the pretence of getting lost. But now.. She couldn't stall anymore. They were ready to go, their house waiting outside the doors to the blue box that she loved so much. It wasn't their home anymore, she couldn't call it that. The TARDIS was her home and it had been since she was seven.

"Amy? I forgot, I just need to get you that book you wanted. Could you come with me? I'm sure Rory can get the bags into the house on his own." The Doctor said with a smile, gesturing down the corridor of the TARDIS after patting Rory on the shoulder.

Amy nodded and smiled, attempting to mask her confusion as she kissed Rory's cheek. "I'll be back in a sec." She murmured to him before jogging away to catch up with the Doctor. The door to the library closed behind her as soon as she walked in, causing her to frown in confusion. "What's happening?"

"I needed to get you alone." The Doctor explained, walking up to her and gently cupping her cheeks but still being careful of the bruises and scratches as he looked deeply into her eyes, searching desperately for the truth. "Do you really want to go?"

Amy stared at him for a long moment. Did she? Of course she wanted to stay on the TARDIS, to stay with the Doctor, but she couldn't leave Rory.. Despite her injuries, her heart seemed to leap with hope at the Doctor's touch and she felt her stomach flip as she glanced down to his lips. "I.. Yes. I want to give Rory a chance. I want to give us a chance." She whispered in reply, glancing down to her wedding ring.

"And you're sure he hasn't forced you into this?"

"Positive." Her answer was too fast to be normal and he could tell that she was lying, but what could he do? He wasn't going to kidnap her.

"Well.. Just.. Just call me if you need anything. Ever. You've got my number and I promise I'll pick up this time." The Doctor murmured through a quiet sigh, "I'll miss you, Amelia."

"I'll miss you too, Raggedy Man." Amy said with a weak smile, pulling the Time Lord into her arms and burying her face in his shoulder to hide her trembling lower lip. "Take care of yourself," she mumbled against his chest. She'd miss the feel of his scratchy tweed jacket against her skin.

"And you." He replied seriously, pulling back to press a gentle kiss to her forehead before he stepped away. "Well then.. Come along, Pond." Though he smiled, there was no joy in the Doctor's words. Just worry. The two of them walked slowly down the corridor together after Amy had chosen a random book to ensure Rory wouldn't get suspicious. She was clutching it to her chest like it was the only thing keeping her alive. Rory was waiting in the console room when they returned, a triumphant grin on his lips. He'd won. He'd got what he wanted.

"Ready to go?" He asked and held his hand out to Amy, pulling her into his side possessively.

"Yep." Amy said, this time not bothering to hide the resignation in her tone. She'd given up.

"Good girl. Goodbye, Doctor." Rory said with a grin that left Amy feeling sick. Then the two of them were walking out of the TARDIS, the doors snapping closed behind them. "This is going to be great," her husband smiled, leading her to the door. Amy realised how much of a mistake she'd made as she heard the TARDIS engines start up and she glanced over her shoulder in time to see the blue box disappear. What had she done?

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**Were you expecting that? Hello! As always, thank you to anyone who has reviewed and thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed this one and I'll try and get the next chapter up when I can :) All rates and reviews awesomely appreciated. **


	5. Chapter 5

"Come on, come on..." Amy's hands trembled as she searched through the contents of the drawer in her bedside table. One of her eyes was swollen shut with a blue black bruise and there was blood dripping from a deep gash in her hand from when she'd tried to grab the knife in Rory's hand, but that didn't distract her because she knew she'd left her mobile in here somewhere. The sound of footsteps on the stairs made her heart thud faster in her chest and her searching became even more frantic before she finally resorted to wrenching the drawer from its cabinet and emptying the various notepads, pens, painkillers, and tissues onto the floor. The ginger Scot dropped to her knees to search through the clutter and finally found her phone under an empty purse. She reached for it just as the door slammed open.

"Amy.." Rory growled, his tone making her shiver in fear. His eyes shone with anger and hatred as his fists clenched at the sight of his wife clutching her phone. "I told you not to use that." He stated, striding towards her. Meanwhile, Amy's eyes never left her phone as she scrolled through the contacts. She only needed a few more seconds... "Oi! Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Her husband yelled.

"Doctor.." Amy whispered, almost in prayer as she finally found the right contact and pressed dial. But then a foot landed on her hand and she heard a crunch, though whether it was her phone or her hand, she didn't know. Maybe both.

"How dare you say his name. Six months and you still go on about your stupid imaginary friend. It's all in your head, Amelia. He hates you. He thinks you're stupid. He begged me to get you away from him," Rory told her with a cold laugh. "I did this for you! I saved you from him and this is how you repay me? By trying to run away?! That's right.. I found your suitcase. Where would you go? The gutter? That's where you belong, you're filth." He spat, leaning all of his weight on the foot trapping Amy's hand just to watch her squirm and whimper. "You're worthless, but I still loved you. Don't you love me, Amy? You should be fucking grateful that I let you stay in the same house as me. But I've had it now. We're over. I can't put up with your psychotic bullshit anymore. You make me sick." With that, Rory removed his foot. The respite only lasted a few seconds before Amy was picked up and thrown at the bed. She was helpless as Rory stripped her of her clothes and she whimpered when she heard the sound of his flies unzipping. "You deserve this. Whore." The words burned in her ears and on her skin.

Worthless. Whore. Psychotic. Crazy Amy, as Rory had been calling her for weeks. "Hasn't the Doctor come back for you?" He would taunt her with a wicked laugh, striking her cheek. "He never wants to see you again." She had started to believe it after a while, though each word felt like barbed wire wrapping itself tighter and tighter around her neck. Her hearts felt constricted, as if the life and love was being squeezed from them by some venomous serpent.

The first few weeks with Rory had been brilliant. He'd only hit her a few times and he'd apologised immediately, petting her hair and kissing her cheek. He told her that he loved her, that it was just a mistake. He'd learn to control his anger, he promised. Amy had begun to settle down and go out with friends after a fortnight, but she'd promise each time that she'd always be back by eight in the evening and she'd text him every hour. Rory always knew who she was with and where she was, so they made it work. But one night Amy got back at half past eight. It was her friend's hen party and she'd been too preoccupied with celebrating to look at her watch. When she did, she had ten minutes to get home. From the small restaurant in which the party had been placed, it would take twenty minutes to arrive home. She tried to call Rory from the cab she'd hailed after rushing from the party, but her phone had been out of battery. And then, of course, the traffic was terrible.

Amy had begged for forgiveness through hurried apologies, blood rushing in her ears due to her sprinting three blocks after abandoning the cab. She had assumed it would be quicker. Rory apparently hadn't been in a forgiving mood, and Amy had ended up missing the wedding due to a 'cold'. How the cold had managed to push her down the stairs however, she couldn't explain. She hadn't been out of the house since then, apart from when she went to the supermarket to buy groceries. The doors and windows were locked day and night, leaving Amy to clean. If the house wasn't spotless when Rory returned, she would be punished. The house was always spotless.

"I'm obviously not giving you enough to do." Rory had reasoned one night after returning from a late shift at the hospital. His feet rested on the table as he lounged on the sofa, waiting for Amy to serve their meal. "Come here." Amy had nodded, dutifully leaving the setting of the table to join her husband in the lounge.

"Am I giving you enough to do? Are you getting bored in the day?" He questioned her.

"No, I've got plenty to do.. I just like to be finished before you get back. I don't want you waiting for your meal." She replied with a bright, if slightly forced, smile.

"Good girl."

Amy was about to leave the room before she paused. That had been her first mistake. "I was wondering.. Could I have the TV on when you're out? I don't like the house to be so quiet.."

"What? No, don't be stupid. That would cost too much money. Besides, you don't need noise."

Her second mistake had been answering back. "But Rory, you don't know what it's like. You're in a busy hospital all day, I'm just stuck inside! If I could just have the radio on, or something-"

"What?! I don't know what it's like?! I spent two thousand years guarding you, Amy! I was in silence for more than half of that time! You're so ungrateful, I wish I'd just stayed with the people I fell in love with during that time. They didn't complain, they doted upon me. They worshipped me like a god. Why don't you, Amy? I give you everything you could ever want and it still isn't enough!" He had shouted, standing up to grab her arm and swing her against the wall. Her hip had caught against the edge of a table and she had gasped in pain, her eyes squeezing shut. She didn't remember much after that, just the various blows from fists and feet coupled with the odd burn from a candle stick lighter. Rory had seemingly heated some of her hair grips in the flame before pressing them against her skin, because her arm had been branded with the word 'worthless' when she woke. She did remember being thrown back into the table and her head catching the corner, but she assumed she'd then passed out as she woke up the next day on the floor by the sofa. Her knickers were around her ankles.

From then on, Rory had slipped back into his old ways and often took his anger out on Amy, claiming she made him do it. She had the brief satisfaction of causing him to break his hand when he had punched her in the back, but it soon faded when he broke her jaw. He even created new ways of punishing her, holding her hand against the heated stove at one point, muffling her screams with one of his hands over her mouth.

Amy reflected upon all of those unhappy memories as the high pitched beeps lulled her to sleep. She had no idea where the noise was coming from, but it soothed her in some strange way. Occasionally the beeps would become erratic and Amy would gasp for breath in fear, her hearts pounding before she and the beeping calmed once more. This was nice.. She didn't feel like she had anything to worry about and her body didn't hurt.. She hoped this would last until she died. Maybe she already had died.. Maybe this was heaven.. Although, if this was heaven.. Surely her imaginary friend should be here. Amy couldn't remember what he looked like, how his eyes caught the light or the sound of his voice. She couldn't even remember why he was so special to her, she just knew that she loved him and he should be here, wherever here was. But she'd wait forever for him to find her if she had to. Amy got the feeling she'd be good at waiting.

The Doctor had been manically spinning around the console ever since he'd received a phone call from a woman with a worried voice, named Sally. She'd informed him that one Amelia Pond had been admitted to their hospital and had given them this number. Sally had told him to come quickly, but nothing else. And so when the Doctor finally landed and tumbled out of the console room and into a bleak, disinfectant smelling corridor, he knew he'd got the right place. Of course, he also knew he'd got the right place by the sight of Amy laid in a bed, hooked up to various drips and monitors. The Doctor froze, watching his best friend through the window of the door to her room. The needles and wires entering her skin along with the oxygen mask covering her mouth and nose would've been enough to make the Doctor feel ill by themselves, but her skin was also littered with welts, scratches and bruises. The only visible skin was her chest, face, arms, and hands, but it looked in the worst possible condition. As the Doctor entered Amy's room wordlessly, he could make out small burns on her arms and neck, as well as what appeared to be words carved and burned into her skin. Her legs were held still in casts, one of her arms in a sling and patches of dressings covering what he assumed to be the worst of her injuries. "Amelia.." The Time Lord whispered, his head spinning. Why had he left her? Stupid old man, he knew this would happen.

The Doctor shakily took a seat beside Amy, reaching across the bed to gently take her hand before he paused. Her fingers were strapped together. They'd been broken. He decided instead to flip through the notes hooked to the side of Amy's bed, mentally noting each injury and thinking of ways he could heal her in the TARDIS. He could manage this, he was sure of it.

"Who are you?" A nurse asked, watching the Doctor carefully. He hadn't even heard her enter. She was a young, pretty woman, her black hair scraped back into a tight bun and her pale skin uninterrupted by any injuries. He felt disgusted in himself when the thought of 'why couldn't it be her instead of Amy?' crossed his mind. It was a few seconds before he realised she was still waiting for his answer.

"I'm.. Her friend. John Smith." The Doctor replied, standing up and shaking the woman's hand. "Is she okay? What happened to her?"

"It was touch and go for a long time.. The internal bleeding nearly killed her," the nurse answered, accepting the Doctor's explanation as to who he was quickly. "But it's looking a little more positive now and she's stable. We don't know what happened to her. A member of the public found her on the street and called an ambulance, but by the time the paramedics arrived whoever it was was already gone. She was lucky she got the held she needed when she did, any later and she would have been dead."

The Doctor took a moment to process the information, attempting to swallow the lump in his throat. "What about her husband? Where's he?"

"He says they split up a few weeks ago. Won't have anything more to do with her," the nurse shrugged. "But it seems like she knew she was going to hospital. She was found with this." The nurse handed him the same book Amy had taken from the TARDIS, though now it was spattered with dark red stains. He didn't need to be told that it was blood. "Look inside." He did as he was told and on the inside of the cover, scrawled in messy and uneven handwriting were the words 'Doctor, I'm sorry'. "We've got no idea what she's sorry about. We only knew who she was and to call you because she kept asking for you in the ambulance. Gave us your number and told us her name before she fell unconscious, but she hasn't been awake since."

"I.. Thank you.. Thank you for taking care of her." The Doctor's voice was barely above a whisper, shaking with emotion before he paused. "What about her parents? Where are they?"

"Didn't you know?" The nurse frowned, "they died six weeks ago in a car accident.. How can you not know?"

"I've been away." He muttered absentmindedly, his thoughts racing. "Could you just.. give us a minute?" The Doctor requested, taking the seat by Amy's bed once more, his mind numb with surprise and confusion. He barely heard the sound of the door close after the nurse had left. "My Amelia.. What has he done to you?"

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**Hello! Hope you enjoyed a chapter that was a little longer :) Thanks for reading, and if you leave/ have left a rate or review than you should give yourselves a pat on the back because you're so awesome. As always, all rates and reviews are crazily appreciated but otherwise I hope you have a crackalackin' day! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

"I'm sorry sir, but you can't just kidnap a patient! I don't care who you say you are or what you say you have in that blue box, she's staying here."

"I'll be able to treat her in my own personal hospital wing," The Doctor said as he looked over the beeping monitors attached to Amy's broken body thoroughly. It was simple enough. "It shouldn't be too much trouble. Can I take the drips attached to her?" He asked, ignoring anything being said to him and finally looking up to the doctor.

The man seemed to be in his fifties, his grey hair thinning and his frame appearing rather gaunt. His dark eyes were sharp and alert whilst his mouth seemed to be set in a somewhat uncomfortable smile. An attempt to put people at ease, the Doctor presumed, though it really didn't work in his case. His name tag indicated that he was Dr. Sherman, a senior member of staff.

"I'm sorry, I can't let you take her. It could be days until she wakes up and you can't just leave with an unconscious patient. Who did you say you were, again?" He asked with an exasperated expression.

"I'm sure this will put your mind at rest," the Doctor said, handing the man his psychic paper as he continued to talk. "I have the supplies and means to look after Amelia for more than two hundred and fifty years. I'm sure I'll cope if anything goes wrong. As you can see, I've got quite a lot of experience with these.. Situations." He explained with a warm smile, though he was growing tired of the man. He'd been in the middle of wheeling Amy's bed into the TARDIS when a group of medical staff had run into the room, demanding he leave her where she was. Normally, the Doctor would've ignored them, closed the doors and simply fly away, but with Amy in a bed with monitors and drips attached to her, it was a little more complicated.

"Oh, I.. Ah, right...I'm so sorry.. Your highness. I had no idea. Please.. Take her if you want, I'll get people to help you move her into your.. Vehicle." He stumbled over his words, gesturing to the TARDIS.

The Doctor couldn't help but smirk a little. He did enjoy the shock people had when they learnt that he was the supposed king of some far off land that they had never heard of. "Now don't you worry, I'm glad to see such good security. I won't be needing any help, but go and get yourself a cuppa on me." He replied, shifting the bed once more as the doctor scurried from the room.

A little while later and Amy was settled in one of the Doctor's beds in the med bay, attached to monitors that looked a little more futuristic and were much more high tech. She still had wires and pipes running from needles in her arms and wrists, but she appeared to be getting her colour back. Her cheeks were returning to their rosy hue, although she was still a little too pale for his liking. The Doctor knew every injury she had, there was no hiding from it now. The only person that could have done it was the last person he would ever have expected up until a few weeks ago. Less than a week had passed for the Doctor since Amy and Rory had left, and he had been planning on going to check up on them in just a few days. Just a few days too late, it seemed.

"Amelia Pond.. What am I going to do with you?" He sighed quietly, massaging his temples with his fingertips. He needed to go and see Rory, but at the same time he desperately wanted to stay with Amy. He needed answers and he needed them now. "Sorry.." He muttered quietly to his unconscious companion as he moved his fingertips to her temples. It was an invasion of her privacy, yes, but Rory couldn't have changed so quickly. Something must have triggered his anger..

When the Doctor learnt it had been six months since Amy and Rory had seen him as he entered Amy's memories, the guilty wave that washed through his mind felt like it would crush him. He'd left her again, and this time in grave danger. He winced at each blow and torment that his best friend had been subject to, bile rising in the back of his throat when he witnessed the blurry memories of Rory forcing himself on his wife. How could he?

The Doctor stumbled back after seeing the full extent of the abuse, rage swelling in the pit of his stomach and slowly consuming his every thought. He had to find Rory. Luckily enough, that shouldn't be too hard. He'd told Amy he'd be out in town the next day after he had thrown her down the stairs, advising that she collected her things then, according to her memories. The Time Lord shuddered at the thought of Rory slicing cuts into Amy's back, carving out insults across her skin as if it was a canvas. He'd painted a picture of hatred onto something that was the most beautiful thing the Doctor had ever seen.

At least he didn't try to kill her, he mused with a bitter thought, striding along quickly to the console room. Because she wouldn't have survived that. Whatever reason Rory was doing all of this for, it wasn't to have his wife dead. Amy had felt hurt when Rory had mentioned his lovers in the time when he was supposedly alone guarding the box. Hurt enough to assume all of this was her fault and not run away. He had to change that.. To change her way of thinking, if he needed to. He wouldn't have his companion think she was to blame for this violence.

As the Doctor landed the TARDIS after a few seconds of manically skidding around the console, hammering buttons and slamming down levers in his anger, he realised something. "Oh no.. Oh please no.." He breathed, slowly stepping up to the scanner. Her searched for the planet they'd been on a few weeks earlier, the planet where it had all started, according to Amy's memories. Larxus. He'd thought the air was safe for humans.. And it technically was.. Helping them to remember forgotten memories wasn't technically a poison, but for Rory.. It had been. To remember all of those hundreds of years in solitary confinement or fighting others or even having affairs.. To remember those days spent alone with his thoughts and steadily growing rage, all directed at Amy for not running when he told her to. For getting shot and needing to be saved in the box.. It had driven him insane. That's why he had never mentioned his previous lovers before. He didn't remember them. The Doctor had assumed that Rory had fully blocked out his time spent as the Last Centurion, remembering only a few snippets now and again, but not the whole time. Human minds weren't equipped to deal with such enormous emotional trauma, and so he had released his emotions in the way any soldier would. By lashing out. He had to find him before he became lost in his own mind, completely unstable with no hope of returning to his former self.

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**Bit of a shorter chapter here, but it was my birthday yesterday so I didn't have that much time. Sorry! Thank you all for reading, hope you enjoyed it :) as always, rates and reviews are terrifically appreciated, but I love every single one of you regardless :)**


	7. Chapter 7

The Doctor found Rory in an dark alley. He would've strode up to the man and given him a piece of his mind, but.. Rory seemed a little bit preoccupied with the woman he was currently pressing up against a wall. He couldn't help the disgust he felt at the sight, smell, and sound of the married man fornicating with another woman whilst his wife laid unconscious in the med bay. Had he lost his heart as well as his mind? The Doctor was beginning to think he was too late.

He cleared his throat, shoved his hands into the pockets of his trousers and took a few steps towards the couple, just enough to be noticeable and interrupt them.

"What do you want?" Rory grunted, not seeming to care about the imposition as much as the woman did. The Doctor ignored her as she hastily pushed Rory away, righted her clothes and fled from the alley. He was focused on the problem still in front of him.

"Amy's in the med bay because of you. She nearly died," he said, trying with all his might to keep his tone level and calm. He couldn't show the full extent of his rage. Not yet, anyway. "Are you sorry for what you've done?"

"No," Rory scoffed, buttoning up his trousers as he replied. "Why would I be? She's a waste of space. You should thank me for what I've done."

The Doctor had a hard time keeping his now clenched fists in his pockets instead of knocking him to the floor. "You used to love her, you would've done anything for her," he reasoned. Everybody got one chance. He had to see if any of the old Rory was still in there..

"And now I've opened my eyes and seen her for what she really is. Crazy, stupid, worthless. There's a reason why she didn't have any friends in Leadworth, Doctor, even if you choose to ignore it. Or maybe you've got a thing for psychotic gingers.."

"Rory.." The Doctor seethed, his eyes narrowing at the other man. "You know she's not any of that. She's worth so much more than the both of us put together. We're her boys, remember?"

"I remember constantly being second best while you two flirted with each other like teenagers. I remember wishing I'd let her burn in that damned box instead of pulling it out of the fire. I hate her and I hate you."

"So what now? You're just going to live on Earth hating the universe? Sleeping with women in the streets? Will you abuse your next partner too? You're being stupid, Rory. Think about it."

"I'm being stupid? I'm not the one looking after a worthless bitch in the hope of screwing her like some demented old pervert."

"You know it's not like that," the Doctor spat his words out, refusing to contemplate what Rory had said. He wasn't using Amy like that, she was his best friend.. He just wanted to look after her..

"Sure," Rory laughed humourlessly and rolled his eyes before elbowing the Doctor aside in order to leave the alley.

What happened next was a bit of a blur to Rory, but the Doctor had already planned and calculated each movement precisely. As Rory had elbowed him aside, he had caught the man's hand and twisted it around painfully. He was caught off guard by the shock and so the Doctor took his cue to quickly thrust his own elbow into Rory's back, just between his shoulder blades, causing him to stumble forwards and eventually fall to his knees after having his feet kicked from beneath him. By the time he had worked out where he was, the Doctor had both of his arms pinned to his back and held them together in one hand.

"You're going nowhere." The tone of his voice told Rory all he needed to know. It was the tone that the Doctor used only when he was facing the most dangerous enemies or when his companions were in serious danger. It was the tone of voice that sent armies running in fear and gave their commanders nightmares. It was the tone of voice that only a man that had lived through too many wars and battles and too many centuries of pain and anguish could perfect. It was the threat of pure danger with no chances left. And so of course Rory kept struggling.

"Get off me you bastard," he growled, writhing in the Doctor's hold. "What are you gonna do? Drag me back to the TARDIS? Make me apologise? I'll kill her the second you leave us alone. You have no idea how much I want to see her dead. And you know the best thing? She'd still love me, the stupid girl. She won't ever stop loving me. She loves the pain because she knows she deserves it, she knows she brings it on herself, she knows-"

Rory was cut off by his own cry of pain as the Doctor stamped down on his leg and a sharp snap could be heard echoing through the alley. "That is just a taste of what she's been through. Of what I could put you through," he spoke quietly into Rory's ear, his grip tightening on his arms as he pushed them just a little higher.

"You're too much of a coward," Rory managed to pant as he slowly began to recover from the sharp pain. "If it came down to it, you couldn't kill someone to protect her. You couldn't kill me. You won't stop me. I'll kill her slowly, I'll make her beg for death. I'll kill Amelia Pond if it's the last thing I do." With that, Rory threw his weight backwards, knocking the Doctor off balance and causing him to fall to the ground. He had already made it to his feet and was leaning against the wall as he walked, dragging his broken leg behind him by the time the Time Lord realised what was happening.

He jumped to his feet, attempting to reach Rory before he made it onto the busy street and they were separated in the crowds. But Rory was already taking his first few steps out of the alley.

"No you don't."

A hand fisted in the back of his shirt and he was pulled back into the shadows, his back being slammed into one of the walls before he felt a forehead pressing painfully against his. The fight was over.

The Doctor closed his eyes as he began to fill Rory's mind with the most terrible things he had ever seen, the tortures he had been subjected to in his long life and the battles he had fought in. It was enough to turn any human into a shivering wreck, never being able to get a good night sleep again.

Rory had been right about one thing; he wasn't going to die at the Doctor's hands. But he sure as hell wasn't going to harm Amy. If he had to, the Doctor would kill to protect her, but not Rory. No. This was a much worse fait.

"I used to be a coward, but I grew up. I changed." He said, his tone still dark with anger, "You brought this on yourself. It was no one's fault but your own." The Doctor let his words hang in the air for a minute as he watched Rory slide to the ground, shaking and whimpering like a baby. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you." He left after one last look at the snivelling human, not bothering to imagine exactly which horror he was thinking of at the moment. Maybe a mixture.

He released a heavy sigh as he stepped back into the TARDIS and closed the doors behind him, leaning back against them with a quiet groan as he rubbed his eyes. He had to focus on Amy now. Eventually he'd tell her what he'd done to Rory. It'd be up to her if they went back to find him, if she forgave him and wanted the Doctor to take away the torturous thoughts that now haunted her husband's mind that the Doctor lived with every day. Maybe she'd blame him for putting Rory through the experience of those thoughts and breaking his leg.. He'd risk it and tell her what had happened anyway. She deserved to know. But not for a while. He had to get his old Amy back first. His happy Amy who was reassured in herself. The Doctor was sure he could do it, it might just take a long time.

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**Hello! Thank you for the birthday messages and the other awesome reviews. You guys are killin' it! :) Hope you all enjoyed reading this, I know some of you won't like it but I thought this is the way it would probably go.. As always, rates and reviews are tastily appreciated and thanks for reading! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

"No.. Rory, no.. Please.." Amy muttered quietly, her eyes still closed as she slept on. It had been a few days since the Doctor had paid Rory a visit and he had been sat in the sling under the console, fiddling with the wiring ever since. He'd been replaying the situation over and over again, each time thinking of a different way he should have reacted, a better way he could've dealt with his old friend.. But even though he was a Time Lord, he couldn't turn back time.

The Doctor looked up when a red light started flashing, frowning in confusion. "What is it, old girl?" He asked, slipping from the sling and making his way up the stairs to stand on the glass floor. Pulling off the dark goggles he wore and chucking them to the lower level, the Doctor tapped the scanner in an attempt to work out what his TARDIS was trying to tell him. When a picture of Amy beginning to wake up appeared, he quickly made his way along the corridors and into the med bay.

"Amelia?" He asked softly when he walked in, checking the steadily beeping monitor she was hooked up to and perching on the seat beside the bed.

"No.. No! Stop, I don't.. Please!" Amy gasped, shifting in the bed as she began to struggle against some unseen terror in her mind. Or memory, the Doctor reminded himself.

"Hey, hey it's alright.. You're okay, you're safe. Amy, you're in the TARDIS.. No ones hurting you.." The Doctor murmured in an attempt to reassure his companion, gently squeezing her shoulder, "Amy, wake up, it's a bad dream.."

Amy's eyes shot open a moment later and she gasped, quickly sitting up as she felt her heart thud quickly in her chest. "I.. Doctor..?" She breathed quietly, slowly focusing on him whilst ignoring the dull pain she felt across her body at the movement. "Where's Rory? Where.. Why am I in the TARDIS?"

"Rory put you in the hospital," the Doctor explained slowly, "apparently you gave them my number, so I went to see you and decided you'd be better off in the TARDIS.. It meant I could use more sophisticated treatments to heal your injuries faster... Sorry if you didn't want me to take you." He paused for a moment to allow the information to sink in before releasing a gentle sigh, settling one of his hands over Amy's. "Why didn't you tell me, Amelia? Why didn't you let me help?"

Amy looked away, her teeth worrying her bottom lip as she shrugged. "It wasn't your problem." She muttered finally, shrugging his concern off.

"Amelia, your problems are my problems. You're my best friend, I want to look after you.."

"I don't need looking after! I'm fine on my own, Rory looks after me!" Amy retorted, shaking her head quickly.

"I know what's going on." His simple statement was enough to startle her into silence for a few minutes, her eyes widening.

"I.. How?"

"I had to look through your memories.." The Doctor admitted sheepishly, combing his fingers through his hair. "I just.. Needed to know what had happened.. Amy, what he's been doing to you, it's not right. It's not your fault and all that he's said about you has been lies."

"I.. I should be getting back to Rory.. It's been too long.." Amy muttered, shaking her head. And then the memories of what had happened before she'd blacked out flooded into her mind, leaving her cheeks a sickly pale colour.

"No, Amy.. I want you to stay in the TARDIS. Stay with me." The Doctor said firmly, his eyes showing nothing but caring concern. He wouldn't let her go back to Rory.. He couldn't. Not with the state he was in at the moment.

After a long pause, Amy finally nodded. What life did she have to go back to? Rory hated her, he didn't want her anymore. Maybe running away would be the right choice. "Alright.. Okay." She muttered. "I'll stay.. Just for a little bit. Thank you, Raggedy Man." A small smile lingered over her lips as she finally looked up and met his gaze.

"Brilliant." He grinned, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. "We can stay in the TARDIS for a while until you're better and then I'll find us someplace relaxing."

"Relaxing? Since when have you done relaxing?" Amy scoffed.

"Hey! I can do relaxing! What about the time we went to Space Florida?"

"We were nearly killed by the space squids." Amy pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

"How about Lastro?"

"We were nearly sucked into a whirlpool."

"Be quiet, Pond." The Doctor muttered with a playful pout, though he was just happy to see Amy slowly slipping back to her normal self.

"Just because you know I'm right," Amy grinned, looking away as her lips curved up into a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah. Right.. Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

Now that Amy thought about it, her throat was uncomfortably dry. "I.. A bit.. I could get myself something though, don't worry about it." She said with a smile, slowly turning her body to slide her legs out of the bed.

The Doctor was having none of it, quickly standing up resting his hands on her shoulders. "No, no, no, you stay here. Don't you move. I'm going to take care of you properly this time." He said with a smile, though paused when he looked carefully at Amy. She had flinched when he had stood up and now seemed to be cowering slightly against the bed, but cowering away from what? Him? His touch? At the thought, he slowly pulled his hands away from her shoulders. "Amy, I'm not going to hurt you.." He said softly, tentatively reaching out to squeeze her hand once more.

"I know.. I know, I'm sorry. I just.. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted like that," Amy replied, annoyed with herself that she'd flinched just because he'd moved suddenly. She needed to pull herself together.

"Listen.. How about you come with me, hmm? I'll get you a wheelchair so you don't have to walk. We can even go to the library, if you want?" The Doctor offered, trying his best to ease her worries.

"Yeah.. Yeah, that sounds good." Amy nodded, smiling gratefully up at her supposedly imaginary friend. "Thanks."

"Anytime."

A little while later and the Doctor had removed the wires and needles from Amy's skin, though insisted on giving her a thorough medical check every morning and evening. Nothing that would make her uncomfortable, but just enough that he would be satisfied with her recovering health. She was tucked up in fluffy blankets, a steaming mug of hot chocolate in her hands, topped with cream and marshmallows whilst the nearby fire crackled in the hearth. She hadn't felt so relaxed in months. The Doctor was sat down on the sofa next to her with her feet resting in his lap, contentedly reading an old Galifreyan fairy tale to her with a faraway look in his eye, seemingly reminiscing. Perhaps he had been told the story a lot as a child.. Amy allowed her thoughts to wander as the ever present tension drained from her shoulders, allowing her to drift off into a pleasant, though light, sleep.

In the kitchen when the Doctor had been making Amy her drink, he had been keeping a worried eye on her. Although she disliked the concern he was showing when there was nothing technically wrong with her, she couldn't deny the warm fuzzy feeling that grew in her chest each time he glanced at her as if he just wanted to check that she was still there. Amy didn't bother to hide her staring. She similarly didn't want to take her eyes off the Doctor because if she did, she was afraid he would disappear.. Or maybe even turn into Rory. She didn't think she'd be able to cope if either were to happen.

The ginger Scot realised that it wasn't just sudden movements she flinched at, but also loud noises. The Doctor had shut the mug cupboard door a little too quickly, causing it to slam shut which resulted in Amy nearly jumping out of her chair in fright, her heart pounding and her eyes wide. Apparently it was going to take a while for her to get used to normal life.. She had apologised to the Doctor each time she had cowered away, squeezing her eyes closed and tensing as she prepared herself for the oncoming slap. But it never came. All that came was a soft, reassuring voice telling her that everything would be okay, and a gentle squeeze to her hands. It calmed her down almost immediately and her thoughts and mind returned to normal. "Thank you.." She'd murmur each time, and each time the Doctor would just smile and nod. In his opinion, she had nothing to thank him for. He'd always be there to do what he could to soothe her, to take her worries and pains away.

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**I hope you all like this chapter more than the previous and thanks for reading! Thanks for all of the reviews as well as the birthday messages! :) As always, every review and rate is much appreciated! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

During the next few days, the Doctor proved Amy well and truly wrong. They mostly lounged around the library with Amy curled up on the sofa and the Doctor sat on the floor by her head, reading to her. If they weren't reading, they'd be floating around in the pool, occasionally having splashing fights. Sometimes they'd mess about in the kitchen and Amy attempted to cook, but that only happened once due to the minor explosion she caused. In her defence, it was stupid that his microwave couldn't deal with a metal can even though he was a Time Lord and could get a new one from the future. A new one that could deal with a metal can. She also complained that technically there wasn't a warning not to put greaseproof paper in the grill because the Doctor had thrown the box away.

He let her off, of course. Forgave her without a moments pause because.. Well, she was just being herself and he had missed her being herself. Although she still jumped when there was a loud bang or flinched when he moved too fast, Amy seemed a lot happier. He tended to her injuries each day and ensured that she wasn't ever in any physical pain, though he could only do so much to heal her mental pain. The Doctor heard her cry each night in his room, where she had been sleeping each night ever since she had woken up in the med bay, and it killed him that all he could do was go and comfort her. He couldn't take away the cause of her tears. He couldn't take away the memories.

Amy didn't want to seem to talk about what had happened to her and whenever he treated her, always stayed completely silent. She gave monosyllabic answers to any question he posed and could never quite meet his gaze, shrugging off any concerns he voiced. The Doctor wasn't going to push for answers, deciding that she'd come to him when she was ready. He'd just keep a very close eye on her until then.

"Pond!" He announced, though made sure not to speak to loudly as he strode into the library with a full English breakfast and a glass of orange juice in his hands. "I've decided that we're going to go out today, if that's alright with you."

Amy looked up at the Doctor from the book she'd been leafing through. He seemed more excited than usual, which usually meant a headache was just around the corner if he didn't go on an adventure. "Okay.. Where do you want to go?" She asked carefully, still being caught off guard by the chance to decide for herself what to do. Amy was used to getting told what she would do each day, so when the decision was put in her hands.. She didn't really know what to do.

Slowly sitting up from her previous position of resting her head against the cushioned arm of her favourite sofa, Amy smiled gratefully up at the Doctor and began to tuck into her food when the tray was settled on her lap. She was still dressing in full length skinny jeans and large baggy jumpers to hide the bruises and cuts that littered her arms and legs from sight. The Scot also didn't want to dress too provocatively, as that had sometimes been Rory's explanation as to why he would.. She refused to finish that thought. She knew the Doctor would never harm her or repeat Rory's actions, but it was still in the back of her mind.

"I was thinking we should go to Antwaine. Sixth planet of the Fortray system and said to have the best views of the famous Purple Sand beaches in all of the galaxy. How about it?"

"Is there really purple sand?" Amy raised an eyebrow, pointing her fork at the Doctor, "Last time you took me to a beach, the sand turned people into fish. I don't want to be a fish."

"I can personally guarantee there will be no turning into fish," the Time Lord said with a grin. "Although there could be some swimming with people that are partially fish, if you'd like?"

"You mean.. Mermaids?" Amy asked, her eyes widening in disbelief. "Don't tell me mermaids are real.. There's no way.."

"There's always a way."

"But.. But they're just fairy tales!"

"I'm a fairy tale and I'm still here." The Doctor grinned.

"You're not a fairy tale, you're a nightmare." Amy retorted with a smirk, laughing when the Doctor stuck his tongue out at her. "Alright, alright! Let's go there. Just let me finish my breakfast first, okay?"

"I wouldn't dream of interrupting." And with that, the Doctor placed a kiss on Amy's forehead, straightened his bow tie, and bounded out of the room to pilot them across the stars.

"Moron," Amy muttered fondly, laughing when a quiet yell of 'I heard that!' echoed through the room.

She quickly finished her breakfast and made her way to her room. It was where she still kept her make-up and clothes, even though she now slept in the Doctor's room. It just felt safer in there.. She could sleep more easily. Amy stared at her reflection in the mirror for a while, contemplating whether she should put on a T-shirt instead of her dark blue jumper. No, that'd show too much skin.. After a moment, she began to apply some eyeshadow and lipstick, though quickly removed them after seeing her reflection once more. She didn't want to seem trashy, as Rory had constantly reminded her. Instead, she walked out of her room with her red hair tied back in a ponytail and only the bare essentials of foundation and mascara as her make-up. Amy just couldn't add anything else.

"You may get a little hot in that," the Doctor warned her when she stepped into the console room, though he was still smiling. "But I'm sure we can find some shade if that happens. Are you ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Amy replied with a nod. "Are we already there? I didn't hear the engines.." She mused.

"Ah, I switched the stabilisers on," the Doctor grinned and shrugged as he hopped down the stairs to the doors. "I didn't want you crashing into something and banging your head."

"Oh.. Thanks." Amy said slowly, unsure what to think of his reasoning. She didn't want to be the cause of ruining his fun when she knew how much he liked to be able to cling onto the console when the TARDIS was being thrown about as well as the strange noise the engines made.

Before she could ponder the subject anymore, the Doctor was opening the doors.

"Amy Pond, I give you Antwaine! Beautiful views, great fish and chips, and absolutely wonderful-"

"Trees?" Amy cut in, nodding to the open doors when the Doctor shot her a confused look. He'd been so busy attempting to take in her expression when he revealed the beautiful sights that he hadn't looked for himself. And so he hadn't seen the trees.

"Ah." They seemed to have landed in a dense forest, the trees packed so tightly together that their leaves seemed to weave into one another to create an impenetrable roof, blocking the sun from casting any light upon the muddy ground.

"I'm not seeing any mermaids." Amy said with a grin.

"Not helpful," the Doctor commented as he stepped outside the TARDIS and pulled out a torch. When he flicked it on, the light revealed roots entwining and creating a path leading through the forest. "This isn't man made," he said with a raised eyebrow, scanning the makeshift path with his screwdriver before flicking it upwards to read the results. "It's brilliant! Come along, Pond. Follow the yellow brick path, as they say. Apart from this path isn't so yellow.. Or bricky.."

"You can't be serious. We're not really walking into the creepy forest are we?"

"Come on, Amy! We're walking into the creepy forest!" The Doctor called, beckoning her out of the TARDIS before he pulled the doors closed and took her hand in his. "Besides, I'm sure this will lead to the beaches."

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**Hello! Hope you enjoyed reading, and thanks for the reviews! But now I want to ask you guys a question. Would you prefer longer chapters which inevitably take longer to write, or these size chapters that I can release every other day? As always, all rates and reviews are spectacularly appreciated! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

"We're lost, aren't we?"

"Absolutely not. What gave you that idea?" The Doctor replied with a frown, glancing to his redheaded companion.

"I don't know.. Probably the fact that we've walked past this tree six times and you'd get lost trying to get to the end of a one way road." She replied with a smirk.

"Oi! When have I ever got us lost?" When he saw Amy opening her mouth to respond, he quickly held his hand up, "No! I don't want you to answer that. Point taken, but we're absolutely not lost."

"Okay," Amy nodded, a sly grin forming on her lips. "Where are we then?"

"In a forest."

"You know what I mean, Doctor."

"In a dark forest."

"Doctor!"

"Okay, okay, we're lost! Happy?" He finally replied with a long suffering sigh.

"Why would I be happy? We're lost." Amy pointed out, though there was a happy grin on her lips. She couldn't deny that she enjoyed the alone time with the Doctor, even though they were wandering through some dark forest that seemed to take them in never ending circles. She liked the peace and quiet.

"Aha!" Well, she hadn't expected it to last that long anyway.

"What is it?" Amy asked curiously, looking around in an attempt to discover what had got the Doctor so interested.

"Can you smell it? Look at this," he said whilst hopping up to one of the tree trunks. "This," the Doctor patted one of the trees before proceeding to lick the bark, causing Amy to grimace, "Is not a real tree! It's not wood!"

"What is it then?"

"It's.. I don't know. Still working on that one. But do you know why it's so strange?"

"Because trees are made of wood?"

"Good thinking, but no." The Doctor grinned and pointed down to the path they were still following. "The roots. They're made out of wood. They're normal.. Well, as normal as roots naturally weaving themselves into a path can get."

"Right.. So the root path is wood, but the trees are some strange material?" Amy confirmed, pausing when the Doctor nodded. "Did someone make the trees then?" She asked slowly.

"Quite possibly.. But why cut trees down just to put in your own? I mean, surely that's just creating more effort for yourself and- Oh."

"Oh? Was that a good oh? It didn't sound like a good oh.."

"Definitely not a good oh." The Doctor looked around quickly, instantly alert. "You know when I said this was going to be relaxing?"

Amy knew what was coming next. "Yeah..?"

"That may have been a slight miscalculation depending on what you find relaxing."

"Doctor, what is it?" The Scot asked as she looked around them both, although it was hard to see past the small beam of light that the torch held by the Doctor cast around them.

"The trees are explosives. We're in the equivalent of a mine field.. Except the mines will eat us." The Doctor finished his sentence rather quickly, rushing his words out in the hope that they wouldn't matter. They did.

"The trees are going to eat us?!" Amy exclaimed with wide eyed confusion as she looked to the seemingly harmless trees. Maybe the Doctor had finally lost it. "That's not possible.."

"Of course it is! Now come on and keep your voice down. We'll be fine as long as we make it back to the TARDIS." He said with a firm nod, reaching out to grasp his companion's hand as he stepped back onto the path and set off at a brisk pace.

"But we're lost.." Amy reminded him, quite unhelpfully in his view.

"Forever the pessimist, hey Pond?" The Doctor said with a raised eyebrow, tapping her nose.

"I'm failing to see the optimistic side of this." Amy sighed before pausing and glancing to her feet. She could've sworn there hadn't been a root raised up from the others a moment ago. "Doctor.."

"Hush. Just move faster." Came the whispered reply as the Time Lord tightened his grip on her hand and began to hurry them along.

A few moments later and a rustling sound could be heard within the trees, small spots of sunlight occasionally bursting through the thick canopy to land on the ground as the branches parted to sink to the earth.

"Doctor.." Amy whispered again, watching as a tree root began to slowly slither along the ground behind them. She was so focused on watching the root's movement that she didn't see the small rut in the path and fell to the ground when her foot caught the edge. "Dammit.." She cursed as the Doctor looked down to her, reaching out to take her hand.

"Amy, hurry up. Come on." He urged her as she reached for his hand before she froze.

"Something's got my leg.." She whispered, swallowing as she felt a vice like grip around her ankle. "Oh my god.. Doctor!" Amy yelled as she felt herself being pulled roughly along the ground, away from her friend. "Doctor, it's got me!"

"Amy! Stay calm, just try and kick it off!" The Doctor called, racing after her.

Amy groaned in frustration at his useless advice, kicking against the root with all her might. "What do you think I'm doing?!"

"You don't sound very calm!" He pointed out, though decided to say no more when he received a rather threatening look. How Amy managed to look threatening when she was being dragged backwards across the ground, he had no idea.

"Oh my god.." Amy breathed when she looked down her body and caught a glimpse of other roots beginning to surround her feet. She was going to be pulled into the ground.. At least it wasn't by Silurians. She instantly began to scrabble for something to cling to on the ground, but any branch or root she managed to catch a hold of either snapped or decided to join in the efforts of the other roots and wrap itself around her wrist. "Doctor!" She called, looking up once more after receiving no reply. Her heart sank when she saw nothing but darkness ahead of her.

"Get.. Off.. My.. Friend!" Came an angry shout from behind her, each word being emphasised with a dull thud. Amy looked to her feet once more to see the Doctor holding an axe and looking rather pleased with himself. It was then that she realised that the roots had become slack around her ankles and wrists, and the thudding she had heard must've been from the Doctor cutting through the wood. Or the not wood, whatever it was.

"Thanks.. Cut it a little fine, though.." She said with a slightly shaky laugh, pulling the roots from her wrists before turning around to sit up and do the same with the roots that were wrapped around her legs and ankles.

"A simple 'thanks for saving my life' is just fine, actually." The Doctor replied with a grin as he crouched beside her and settled the axe on the ground. "You okay?" He asked, his voice now soft and tinged with concern.

"Yeah.. A bit dirty, but I'll survive." Amy replied with a nod, brushing the dirt from her jumper and jeans before taking the Doctor's proffered hand and pulling herself to her feet beside him. "What the hell were they? I thought the roots were meant to be the normal wood?"

"I'm not sure.. But I don't fancy hanging around to find out right now. Shall we get going?" He asked as he glanced to the trees around them, still holding Amy's hand.

"That sounds good. Do you know where the forest ends?" She asked before pausing. "And.. Where did you find an axe?"

"I think there's a clearing a few miles from here.. Maybe a little village. It's closer than the TARDIS so we'll stay there for the night. We can investigate tomorrow morning."

Amy nodded in agreement, noticing for the first time that day how tired she was. And hungry.. She could do with a drink as well. "And the axe?"

"I found it embedded in a tree. Maybe someone came in here by mistake and tried to chop their way out when the roots started moving." The Doctor shrugged as he started forwards whilst ensuring Amy was walking by his side. "Or maybe one of the locals left it in here.. Either way, it's not part of the forest. Stuck out like a sore thumb."

"Shouldn't we take it with us in case we get attacked again?"

"No, the forest needs to heal.. Reenergise and repair the damage we did. I imagine its a little bit like a Venus fly trap. Did you ever have one?"

"Yeah.. My mum always told me off for playing with it and getting it to close when there wasn't a fly." Amy said with a nod.

"Exactly like that. If you play with it too much then the trap will eventually end up digesting itself or withering, depending on whether it has released the digestive acids or not. When these roots caught you, they were going to drag you down and ah.. Well.. Digest you. Don't look at me like that! I saved you!" The Doctor complained when Amy shot him a horrified glare. She rolled her eyes at him a moment later and he continued. "The acids will have already been released, but because you're not in there to be digested, it'll harm the systems in some way. So before these roots can attack again, before the forest is ready to feast again, it needs to flush out the unused acids and toxins, giving us time to escape." He finished with a smile. "It's rather brilliant."

"A carnivorous forest. Absolutely wonderful." Amy muttered sarcastically, though her hand tightened around the Doctor's. She wasn't in the mood to get digested, especially not in a forest. "You know what? I prefer the Star Whale's tongue." She decided with a nod.

"Really? It was a bit.." The Doctor made a face and held his nose before wafting away an imagined bad smell.

"Well at least it didn't actually eat us!"

"Neither has the forest."

"Shut up."

"I would, but I'm afraid you'd offend the locals with your lack of knowledge of their culture. Come on." The Doctor said with a smile as he gestured to the lights just about visible through the trees. "We're there. Let's hope there's some sort of inn.."

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**Hello! Sorry this chapter is a little late, life is crazy at the mo :) Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it, and rates and reviews are spectacularly appreciated, as always! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

Amy and the Doctor made their way past the few houses built in the clearing in the forest and towards what looked like a pub, hoping that they'd find somewhere that they could stay for the night.

"It's a pub! Pubs always have places to stay in!" The Doctor had assured Amy with a smile and a shrug as he led them both down the makeshift road that had been created by stone slabs set on the ground. The Doctor had said that the locals must have done that because it definitely wasn't natural. Amy had rolled her eyes.

The stone slabs looked as if they had once been a pearly white colour, but because of the years of people walking on them and the weather beating down on them, they had faded to grey. The slabs were lit by street lamps that ran the length of the road, from the very first two houses to where the road stopped in front of the pub.

The houses all had thatched roofs which caused Amy to suspect that the people that lived here weren't that advanced, but the red brick walls fitted with what appeared to be solar panels contradicted that theory entirely. There were six houses altogether, two lines of three running parallel to each other on both sides of the road whilst at the end of the road there was a pub and a little shop which displayed signs for colourful fruits, though because of the late time it had been closed.

"This place is creepy." Amy complained, leaning into the Doctor's side just a little more. For comfort, of course.

"I've seen creepier. Remember the Maze of the Dead? Definitely creepier." The Doctor replied with a shrug as the two of them came to a halt outside of the pub.

It's windows had a warm and welcoming glow whilst Amy could just about make out the quiet buzz of conversation from within. Maybe it was a little more like a normal pub than she'd originally assumed.

"Shall we?" The Doctor asked with a smile, stepping forwards and pulling open the heavy wooden door before holding it for Amy. When she grinned at him and walked past after curtseying, he just chuckled and tipped an imaginary hat.

"We shall." Amy regretted her decision as soon as she'd walked a few steps into the pub. The people in there all looked like normal human beings, although their clothes were ripped and torn. The only differences Amy could see were the colour of their hair, which appeared to range from red to light blue, and the shape of their eyes, which were more curved and catlike than a normal human's were. Everyone stopped drinking or eating to stare at her and the conversation immediately stopped, causing a deafening silence to settle in the room. That was, until the Doctor walked in.

"Hello!" He said as he looked around at everyone, shaking as many hands as he could in the short walk to where Amy was standing by the counter.

"Doctor.. I don't think we're welcome here." She whispered quietly to him, casting a cursory glance over the twenty or so faces that were staring at them, each wearing the same angry frown.

"Nonsense, Pond. They're all perfectly nice people. Now," the Doctor turned to the bartender who had his arms folded. "Do you have any fish fingers and custard?"

The burly man behind the bar narrowed his eyes, glancing between the two strangers in his pub. He had purple stubble lining his cheeks and a yellow tinge to his eyes, his clothes tattered like everyone else's. "You should leave." His words came out in a threatening growl, making Amy shiver where she stood. "You're not welcome here."

"Not welcome? Seems like a bit of a rubbish pub then, not wanting new business." The Doctor replied, still wearing his happy grin.

"You should go. It's not safe for you here," an elderly woman spoke up, her voice grainy and her once red hair faded to a pink tinged white.

The Doctor turned to her with a small frown, only now seeming to realise the unwelcoming glares. "Not safe? How?" He questioned, stepping towards the woman.

"Don't talk to her." Another man snapped as he stepped forward to stand between the Doctor and the old woman. This man was cleanly shaven, but his hair was a light blue and his skin seemed leathery and weather beaten.

"He was just asking a question," Amy spoke up with a frown as she walked forward to stand beside the Doctor, who was still staring at the woman over the man's shoulder.

"Right, that's it. Get 'em out, Felix." The bartender spoke with a nod to a tall, well built boy standing in the corner. He couldn't have been more than eighteen but we was easily as tall as the Doctor and Amy and his shoulders seemed twice as broad, the muscles on his arms straining the grey material on his sleeves and his hair a very dark shade of red.

As soon as the older man had spoken, the boy, Felix, had walked forwards and seized the Doctor's shoulders, giving him a rough push towards the door.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Amy protested angrily, walking towards the boy before a rough push against her back sent her stumbling towards the door. She guessed that the man that had stepped between the Doctor and he older woman had pushed her.

"We're not here to harm you, we don't want any trouble!" The Doctor said quickly, reaching out to grab Amy's hand and keep her from crashing into the door.

"I said out!" The bartender shouted at the same time as Felix pulled open the door and began to shove the Doctor outside and Amy with him.

"Stop!" Came a cry from within, silencing everyone in the room. "Let them back in! You know what will happen if you throw them out. We're not murderers, Evan." The woman that had spoken seemed to be about thirty in age, her deep blue hair matching the piercing blue eyes that were challenging the bartender as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "It won't help."

"Exactly! She's right, listen to the nice woman! Won't help a bit. Murdered by what?" The Doctor piped up quickly, guiding Amy to slip past Felix and back into the warm pub before he did the same.

"We can't handle another two people. We're low enough on food as it is." Evan replied, though his voice had softened. "Come on, Laura.. You know I'm right."

"We will find a way to manage. But they're staying here." With that, Felix closed the door and stepped back to his corner in the shadows, watching the Doctor and Amy's every move. "You two, where are you from? How did you get here?" Laura asked as she turned to the Doctor and Amy.

"We're travellers. Our vehicle crashed in the woods outside.. We saw the lights and headed towards your village," the Doctor invented quickly. "We didn't think being alone in the woods would be a good idea at night. From what you've said, it sounds like we were lucky to find you.."

"Lucky indeed. You must be hungry and thirsty.. Can we get you anything?" Laura asked, nudging Evan who grudgingly poured a purple liquid into two cups before setting them on the bar. He then tipped a ladleful of what appeared to be green jelly into a bowl and placed it, along with two spoons, beside the drinks.

"Starving. I'm afraid we don't have any money, though." The Doctor nodded, the warm smile returning to his lips as he stepped forwards to stand in front of the bar once more, tugging Amy along beside him.

"Oh, don't worry about that. We'll get you sorted, pet. You'd better stay here tonight, as well. We'll get Mary to make up the spare bedroom. I'm Laura, if you didn't catch it. This silly beggar is my husband," Laura informed them, patting Evan's arm before she extended her hand out to the Doctor. "Lovely to meet you, Mr..?"

"Doctor. Just Doctor, no Mr." The Doctor said with a smile, shaking her hand energetically. "And this is Amy Pond, my.. Friend. Companion. Assistant-" Amy stamped on his foot. "Ow! Okay, not assistant."

"Hi," Amy said with a smile, shaking Laura's hand a little more gently. "Thanks for letting us stay."

"Oh, you're both welcome. Don't worry about this lot, they're all a bit.. Jumpy. Nervous about strangers." Laura replied, casting a glance across the people in the pub that were slowly starting to talk, eat, and drink amongst themselves again. Whilst she had been talking, the Doctor had picked up one full cup and had sniffed the liquid before taking a gulp.

"Dazmus!" He exclaimed with a wide grin. "I haven't had any of this in ages!"

"It is our most popular drink," Laura said with a nod and a smile. "We used to ship it all across the land before the trees moved in."

"The trees moved in?" Amy repeated with a confused frown. "Don't you mean grew?"

"No, they moved in. We woke up one morning and there they were, rooted to the ground. There were tracks leading up to each tree, massive trenches in the ground. We think they rolled themselves here."

"We tried cutting them down, but none of our tools worked. Each man that tried would go missing the next week, snatched from his own bed at night. The only thing left was a broken window and blood." Evan spoke up beside his wife.

"What, they just disappeared completely?" Amy asked with a small frown. "You never found them again?"

"Not a hair on their heads. Since then, we've been trapped here. Our food is running out and the trees are getting closer each night." Another girl with lilac hair spoke up from behind them, a sad frown on her brow.

"Can't anyone get through the woods in the daylight?" The Doctor asked and turned to the girl, but it was the elderly woman from before that answered. "Anyone who tries to get out doesn't come back. We don't know whether they reach the other side and abandon us, or get killed."

"But we hope for the best. Hope that they have escaped the woods and are alive." Laura said, glancing to the old woman. "That's Molly, our village elder. She warned us that the trees were coming, but none of us believed her. She knows the most about the trees out of all of us, even Mick."

"Mick?" The Doctor asked, taking another sip of his drink and nodding for Amy to do the same. "Don't worry, it's safe." He murmured to her with a smile. Amy nodded and picked up her glass, taking a sip of her own drink. It tasted a little like pineapples coated in marshmallows and left a warm feeling in her stomach. It was the strangest drink she'd ever had, but actually tasted quite nice.

"Mick is my brother." Felix answered, stepping out of the shadows. "He's mental. Says he can talk to the trees."

"We don't know that he can't, Felix." Laura told him carefully.

Felix snorted and rolled his eyes. "No one can talk to trees."

"If they can kill people and move by themselves, why wouldn't they be able to talk?" Amy asked with a raised eyebrow, earning a proud grin from the Doctor that she couldn't help but blush a little at.

"You sound as mad as he does." Felix muttered, leaning against the table beside him.

"Can we meet him?" The Doctor asked.

"It's too late now, but I'm sure you can in the morning." Laura replied with a nod. "Now it's time the rest of you were getting home. You don't want to be caught out." There was a quiet buzz of conversation as the locals nodded and finished their drinks, shrugging on their tattered coats and trudging towards the door. They left in groups of no less than three, for protection, Laura explained, and soon there was no one left in the room but the Doctor, Amy, Laura, Evan, and Felix.

"Caught out.. By the trees?" The Doctor questioned curiously.

Laura shook her head, watching as Felix pulled all of the curtains across the windows and began to bolt shut the door, turning a key in a heavy lock and finally sliding a plank into two brackets. No one would be getting through that. "No. They'd be caught out by the Kwarls, the things that live in the trees. They came a few weeks ago and attacked anyone out in the dark. You'll be able to hear them when they arrive. They run through the streets and kill anything alive, sometimes they even try to get into the houses. You'll be safe if there aren't any lights on, so don't worry."

"Kwarls?" Amy asked, digging her spoon into the green jelly and trying just a little bit. It tasted like brussels sprouts, but she was hungry and didn't want to offend anyone, so she ate some more.

"They've got two heads, three legs, two arms, and one tail. Not to mention the teeth and claws. They look a little like Swirns, but their tails have spikes on them." Felix explained.

"Swirns are what you'd get if you gave a monkey a beetle's exoskeleton." The Doctor murmured in her ear, causing Amy to grimace. They sounded disgusting.

"Mary says the rooms ready." Evan said as he walked back into the room, making Amy jump. When had he even left? Maybe she was just tired..

Laura nodded and kissed his cheek before turning to the Doctor and Amy. "We've only got one spare room, so I'm afraid you'll have to share. There's a chair in there if you need it and the beds only single but it's the best we can give you." She said apologetically.

"Oh, don't worry! We'll make do." The Doctor shook his head with a grin. "Thank you so much for letting us stay.. I'd like to offer our help in return. We're going to try and sort this mess out.. To get the trees away and make your village safe again." He promised a little more seriously.

"You can try, but.. I don't think you'll get anywhere, pet." Laura replied with a soft sigh before nodding to the cups and bowl. "You can take them upstairs with you, if you like. Follow me." She said, making her way to the door behind the bar. The Doctor nodded and picked up the two cups as Amy picked up the bowl and two spoons before they both followed Laura behind the bar and through the door which lead to some narrow, spiralling stairs. "The bathroom is in there," Laura informed them, nodding to the door at the top of the stairs. "We haven't got much hot water, so any shower you have will have to be quick. I can provide you both with some spare clothes and towels if you want, so just ask." She smiled at them before continuing along a small corridor that was lit with just a few candles. "This is Mary's room and this is mine and Evan's room. We'll be in there if you need us. And this," Laura came to a halt at the door at the end of the corridor, pushing it open to reveal a small room with a single bed pushed up against the corner and a small bedside table placed at its head, a chair set on the other side of the table, and a wardrobe just fitting in the space between the end of the bed and the wall. The back of the wardrobe covered half of the window in the wall, whilst curtains were drawn across the glass to keep any light from escaping outside.

Where does Felix sleep?" Amy asked curiously, "I didn't see him leave.."

"Oh, his room is downstairs next to the kitchen, he sleeps in there with his brother Mick. Forget the trees, I think they're the reason we're running out of food." She said with a light laugh.

The Doctor chuckled as he stepped into the room and settled the two cups on the small bedside table before turning back to Laura. "We're going to fix this, Laura. I promise."

"We won't let you down." Amy added with a nod as she settled the bowl beside the cups. Laura just smiled and shook her head.

"Whatever will be, will be. You two get some rest, now. I expect you've got a long day ahead of you tomorrow, if you want to try and get back to your vehicle. G'night."

"Night!" The Doctor called as the Laura pulled the door closed behind her. "Well then," he said, turning to Amy. "Dibs on the bed." He said quickly, leaping onto the small mattress with a laugh.

Amy groaned and rolled her eyes, athough there was a grin on her lips as she perched on the end of the bed. "I see you're acting like a true gentleman, then." She teased him with a smirk.

"Oh, of course." The Doctor nodded, chuckling as he rested his hands behind his head and stared at Amy. "It's not safe here," he mused with a small frown.

"It's not safe anywhere."

"Good point, but it's even less safe here and I promised you relaxing."

"I don't know.. Good strong lad like Felix downstairs, I'm sure he'll protect us." Amy smirked.

"Oi! I could protect us!"

"Well.. You would provide a nice distraction for me to run away as you snapped in half like a twig." She said slowly with a nod.

The Doctor sighed with a pout. "You're rude."

"Says the man hogging the bed."

"I'm old! I need the comfort!" He complained, sitting up and poking Amy's cheek.

"Hey!" She said with a laugh, darting her fingers across his chest to tickle him. She didn't see the Doctor grab the pillow behind him and so squealed in surprise when the soft object collided with her head, quickly launching herself at the Doctor and pinning him down beneath her to tickle him with a grin at his laughter.

A high pitched screech made both of them freeze, attempting to quieten their slightly heavy breathing as their laughter instantly died. "What was that?" Amy whispered, her eyes wide as the Doctor turned his head and quickly blew out the candle on the bedside table, plunging the room into darkness.

"The Kwarls .." He whispered, looking back at her. Neither of them seemed to care that Amy was still straddling the Doctor's waist, her hand splayed across his chest to hold herself still. She could feel his heartbeats under her palms and it soothed her a little. "Stay very quiet.." The Doctor breathed as he heard a soft thud on the roof above them, his gaze glued to Amy's through the darkness of the room. They both held their breath as what Amy guessed to be footsteps padded across the roof before finally jumping down to the ground with another screech.

The screeches reminded Amy just slightly of her own screams at the hands of Rory and soon she was all too aware of exactly how she was positioned on the Doctor. "Sorry." She whispered, quickly shifting her weight from his lap and bringing her leg from over the other side of his waist to slide to her feet on the floor.

"Hey, no. You take the bed, I'm fine." He replied quickly with a shake of his head, rising to his feet beside her and gently taking her hand in his.

"Doctor, I-"

"Amy, take the bed." The Doctor spoke in a hushed tone, gently guiding her back onto the mattress. With a slow nod and a quiet sigh, Amy sunk back down to the surprisingly comfortable bed and rested her head down on the pillow. She hadn't realised how tired she was.

"Thank you.." She whispered with a small smile, her eyes fluttering closed after she saw the Doctor nod and settle down in the chair.

_"Amy, what the fuck is this? Can't you even make toast without messing it up?!" Rory asked angrily, swiping the plate of slightly charred toast from the table and looking down to the now smashed plate. "Now look what you've done! Clear it up!" He yelled at her._

_"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.. Rory please.. I had to get your beer, I forgot about the toast.." Amy replied hurriedly through a shaky voice, quickly kneeling down and beginning to collect the shattered pieces of plate. _

_"So it's my fault now?! You're blaming me for your stupid mistakes?!" He spat in reply, standing over her as she worked to clean up. _

_"No, no! It's not your fault, it's mine, I'm sorry!" Amy said quickly, her fingers shaking as she worked. _

_"Worthless piece of shit." He snarled, dealing a swift kick to Amy's gut before he crouched down and fisted his hand tightly in her hair to force her head down into the shattered plate. Amy whimpered as the sharp pieces of porcelain began to cut into her cheeks, one piece narrowly missing her eye. "Don't do it again."_

_"I won't.. I promise I won't, I'm so sorry.." She replied through her tears, the salty water mixing with the blood dripping onto the floor. Just as Rory was beginning to stand up, Amy's phone buzzed. _

_"Who was that?" He asked slowly, walking past Amy to reach her phone and smirking when his foot kicked her head to the side. "Tom? Who the fuck is Tom?!"_

_"No one, he's just my old boss, he wanted to see if I was free for anything." Amy rushed out, slowly sitting up and attempting to pick out any pieces of shattered plate that were buried in her skin as she just about managed to hold back her sobs. _

_"You're lying.. Why are you lying?!"_

_"I'm not, Rory please, he's just my old-"_

_"Did you just answer me back?!" Rory shouted, striding towards her once more and throwing her phone at the wall, causing it to shatter into pieces. _

_"No, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Amy spluttered as she cowered away from him. A fist soon smacked harshly into her bleeding cheek before another kick landed in her stomach. Amy choked on her breath as Rory dragged her to her feet before throwing her against the table, pinning her down with one hand and unbuckling his belt with the other. "Please.. Please, Rory.." She begged, feeling new bruises beginning to form on her hips from where they'd been slammed into the table edge. _

_"Shut up." Rory snapped, rolling his eyes at Amy's sobs before he pulled down her jeans and underwear before pushing her shirt up her back. _

_Amy cried out as the leather lashed against her back and arse, her eyes squeezed tightly shut. A scream escaped her lips at the new pain of the buckle whipping against her skin instead of the leather, splitting it open and creating new welts. A hand covered her mouth to silence her and Amy was finding it hard to breathe. _

"Shh, Amy it's me, it's just me." The Doctor whispered hurriedly, his eyes wide as he quickly removed his hand from her mouth as soon as her eyes opened. "It was just a nightmare, Amelia, you're okay.." He murmured, slipping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her into a tight hug from where he was kneeling beside the bed.

Amy blinked, slowly gathering her thoughts as she remembered where she was. She must have been screaming in her sleep again.. Of course the Doctor would have had to muffle her this time to make sure those monkey things didn't hear her.. Her harsh breathing slowly began to even out as she relaxed in his arms and nodded, her racing heart beat returning to a normal pace as she attempted to swallow back the tears. It had never worked before, and it didn't work now.

The dreams always seemed so real, the pain still seeming to be cutting into her skin as she cried silently and buried her face in the Doctor's shoulder, allowing the familiar feel of his scratchy tweed jacket to soothe her. "Sorry.." She whispered through a cracked voice, closing her eyes tightly.

"Hey, don't apologise. It's perfectly okay." He replied quickly with a shake of his head, gently rubbing circles on her back with his knuckles. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked doubtfully, knowing her answer would almost certainly be

"No thanks.. I'm alright."

"If you're sure.." She always was. "Do you want to try and get anymore sleep?" He asked quietly, "you've only been asleep for about an hour."

"Are the things still outside?"

"Yeah. But they moved onto someone else's house about half an hour ago."

"Then.. Yeah. I think so."

The Doctor nodded and smiled slightly, although Amy could only just make it out through the darkness of the room. She swallowed before she next spoke, this time grateful for the lack of light that hid the blush forming on her cheeks.

"Could you.. Stay? Please? I.. Don't want to be alone." She asked, her voice sounding small and pathetic to her own ears.

"Of course, I'm not going anywhere." He didn't understand.

"I mean.. In the bed. Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything," Amy continued in a rush. "I just.." She trailed off, wondering how to continue. She needn't have worried, however, as the bed soon sunk a little as the Doctor shifted his body onto the mattress and pulled the covers over both of them.

"Whatever you want, Amelia." He whispered softly, and Amy felt his lips against her forehead for a moment before his arms slid around her shoulders once more. "I'll always be here for you."

"Thank you.." She replied quietly, moving to rest her head against his chest and listen to his heart beats. They had always calmed her in the past and made her feel safe. She realised that he had slipped off his jacket and kicked off his shoes before he got into the bed when she wrapped her arm around his waist and her feet bumped accidentally against his. "Night, Doctor."

"Goodnight, Amelia." And that's how Amy fell asleep a few moments later, curled up in the Doctors arms. This time she dreamt of adventures with her imaginary friend, the two of them running away together in a blue box.

* * *

**Hello! It took me a while to write this chapter as I could never get it quite right, but I think this is a good end result :) Thank you for reading and an extra cool thank you if you've rated and reviewed. As always, all rates and reviews are lovingly appreciated and until next time, I hope you have a wonderful life! :)**


	12. Chapter 12

Amy's eyes slowly flickered open as she stretched in the small bed, woken from her deep sleep by the soft sound of rain pattering against the window. The memories of all that had happened in the night and the previous day drifted into the centre of her mind and she bit her lip as she shifted, expecting a warm body pressed closely against her back. She was only slightly surprised when all that was in the bed with her were cold sheets.

"Doctor?" Amy asked, rubbing her eyes and slowly sitting up. He wasn't there. The room seemed cold and dark without him, even though the curtains had been pulled back to reveal the green, cloudy sky which was barely lit by the three suns that were only just visible. She'd have to ask the Doctor for some sun cream if the clouds dissipated. Amy didn't even want to consider the possibility of getting sun burnt by three suns, one had always been bad enough.

Her fingertips brushed against a folded piece of paper as she pulled the sheets a little tighter around herself for warmth. She looked down as her fingers curled around what appeared to be a small note with her name written on it in the Doctor's handwriting. She'd notice that childish, yet somehow neat scrawl from anywhere. She opened the note and found herself smiling at the words written inside. She could almost hear him saying them.

"Amy! Morning! Or afternoon.. Whichever fits best. I thought I'd better leave you to get some more sleep - and I smelt tea. Always been a sucker for tea, lovely stuff. Have I taken you to the Tea planet, yet? All of the houses are made out of tea bags and the rivers flow with milk instead of water. You should see it when it rains.. Somewhere between a miracle and a catastrophe. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, leaving you to get some sleep! I think it will rain later, so I've left an umbrella at the end of the bed. I put some clothes that Laura said you could have at end of the bed too, but I'm not sure that they'll fit you. If I'm not downstairs, don't worry, I'll just be out exploring. Can never get enough of exploring, me. It's a small village, so if you shout loud enough I'll probably hear you. Then again, you always shout loudly so don't worry about your volume, I'll hear you anyway."

Amy rolled her eyes at his words, smirking to herself. "Moron." She muttered fondly.

"And I'm not a moron. Hah! Weren't expecting that, were you? I'm running out of paper now, so I have to stop writing. One very important thing first. Don't-"

Amy's reading was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Hello?" She called, looking up.

"Amy.. Hi, you don't know me.. Not yet. You probably will do soon." A voice floated through the closed door. "Can I come in?"

Amy paused to look down at herself and quickly slid out of the bed, straightening out her clothes and smoothing down her hair self consciously before she replied. "Yeah, be my guest."

The door slowly opened to reveal a man that looked to be about her age, his hair a blue so dark that it almost seemed black, although that wasn't the striking thing about his appearance. His irises were a dark red whilst his pupils seemed to be the colour of his hair and he had a long scar that ran from his left eyebrow down to his cheek. "I'm Mick.. I just wanted to say hello. Laura said we had visitors, that they might be able to help us. Are you here to help?" His clothes were a little different to any others she had seen on this planet, so far. They were still tattered, but the shirt he wore had a hood attached to it and there were two silver bracelets attached to the sleeves that were dangling around Mick's skinny wrists.

Amy stared at him for what was probably a little too long before snapping out of her thoughts and clearing her throat. He looked to be a few inches taller than her, but his stance wasn't threatening. "Yeah. We're gonna get rid of the trees for you all. Promise." She smiled, dropping the Doctor's note onto the bed before she stepped forwards and extended her hand. She could read it later, anyway.

Mick paused before shaking her hand with a warm smile, although his gaze did seem a little calculating. "Well, you're welcome to try. The trees won't like it, though. They say they'll cause floods if we try to kill anymore of them or try to escape."

Amy raised an eyebrow in slight surprise, remembering what had been said about Mick the previous night. He wasn't really mad, was he? He seemed perfectly normal, if a little strange, to her. "You talk to them?"

"Well.. It's more of a they talk at me, type of thing. I'm the only one that listens." He shrugged as if what they were talking about was just everyday conversation. Not talking trees.

"Why don't the others listen?"

"Because they don't want to know the truth." Mick sighed, "They're scared that if they learn about the trees, they'll know for sure that there isn't any hope of escape."

"But surely learning about them would mean that you'd be able to fight them more easily," Amy frowned, sitting back down on the bed. Mick had a strangely calming presence, one that she felt she could connect with, anyway. "Or you could all communicate and just.. Ask them to move?"

"You do realise we're talking about trees, right?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and a slightly amused smile as he leant against the door frame with his arms folded across his chest.

"You're the one that said they spoke to you," Amy quipped.

"Touché. The thing is.. I'm not sure that they can understand us. You see, they only speak in really bad Focan, and the messages are repeated three times, no matter what I say. That's why I think they're talking at us, rather than to us. They don't know how to communicate properly."

"Wait.. Focan?"

"The language we're speaking in right now.. The native language of this planet? How can you not know that?" Mick questioned, his brow creasing in confusion.

"Ah.. I'm not really a morning person. Takes a while for everything to start up." Amy explained, tapping her head with her most charming grin. She'd forgotten that people wouldn't speak English here and that the TARDIS would translate their languages automatically. To be fair, she had had her mind on... Other things for a long time.

"Right. Well, anyway, I was wondering if you wanted a tour. We've only got a small village, so we can grab some breakfast on our way out and be back in time for lunch. How about it?"

Amy paused as she contemplated her decision. She wanted to find the Doctor to check that everything was alright, but he would probably be busy and she didn't want to get in the way. Besides, maybe she could learn something and be useful for once. Rory had always said she was useless, but she could prove him wrong. "Yeah, that sounds good." She finally replied with a grin.

"Brilliant. I'll be downstairs when you're ready to go," Mick said with a nod, turning to leave before he paused. "Do you want me to make you some bofum for breakfast? It's my speciality."

Amy paused and bit her lip. Surely the Doctor would've told her if anything was dangerous.. "Sure. Thanks." She said with a nod and a grateful smile. She'd try it and if it didn't taste good, she'd make up some excuse about feeling ill.

Amy found a mirror in the small wardrobe in the room after a few minutes of searching and checked her reflection. She could do with a hairbrush, but otherwise she was fine. After looking through the clothes at the end of the bed, she found that they'd be much too small for her. The trousers would come up to her knees and the shirt wouldn't fully cover her stomach. Definitely not ideal. She decided that her own clothes would do for another day, but after that she'd hunt around for some larger outfits. She didn't want to seem indecent on her first day here...

After quickly stuffing the Doctor's note into the back pocket in her jeans, Amy made her way to the bathroom and washed her face. She still felt a little grotty, but made do and was soon hopping down the stairs. She was excited to learn about the people here and the trees that threatened them. After all, it had been too long since the last proper adventure where she'd been allowed to be herself. This would be a new beginning, a breath of fresh air. She might even be able to prove to the Doctor that she was better now, that he didn't have to tiptoe around her as if she'd break at a sudden movement. Amy had seen the worried looks he shot her when he thought she wasn't looking. She'd noticed the way he'd begun to be more gentle and careful around her and even though she was eternally grateful, she didn't want it to last forever. She wasn't his responsibility, his child that he had to protect and look after. She was herself, now. Strong, unbreakable, Amy Pond. She just had to make herself believe it, too.

"There you are! Foods on the bar, we'll set off as soon as you're done." Mick called to Amy from where he was stood at the sink, washing up the pots Amy assumed he'd used to make her meal.

"Thank you!" Amy replied, walking up to the bar and settling herself down on a stool in front of it. The food in the bowl on the bar top looked a little like porridge, but was tinged green. All of the food here was green. She gingerly raised a spoonful to her lips and took a small bite before a wide smile spread across her lips as the bursts of flavour spread over her taste buds. It was delicious. Amy finished the food in no time and stood up to carry the bowl and spoon into the kitchen to wash up. She wondered where everyone else was as she walked, hearing no sound other than the quiet clinks from the pots in the kitchen. The pub was strange when it was empty and silent instead of filled with customers. Even a little bit creepy.

"Did you like it?" Mick asked, taking the bowl from her with a smile. Amy had noticed that he'd had a certain charm about him, but she hadn't realised how handsome he actually was..

"Oh, uhh.. Yeah, thanks. It was brilliant." She replied in a stutter, her cheeks beginning to flush a light red. God, she wasn't blushing, was she?

"Great. The rains stopped, so we should be okay without coats. We won't be gone that long, anyway." Mick smiled, although Amy found the thought of being pressed together with him under a small umbrella quite appealing, so had to work quickly to hide her pout of disappointment. "I'll take you around the houses first, then maybe we can visit the caves. They're a little way into the forest, but it's a safe path."

"Sounds perfect to me," Amy beamed, nodding quickly. The caves sounded a little dangerous, but it did mean she'd be able to spend more time with Mick..

"Right. Come on, then." Mick offered Amy his arm and she took it gladly before the two of them strode from the pub and made their way along the makeshift path.

Mick described who lived in each house in great detail, telling Amy of each person's family history and the role they played in the small village. He explained how everyone had a certain job, but since the trees had arrived, a lot of people had to do something else. All of the animals they had farmed for food had disappeared or died and most of their crops had withered, so a lot of people were left workless.

Amy hung on Mick's every word, but she couldn't seem to take her eyes of the way his arms flexed in his tight shirt as he guided her forwards, or the way his jaw moved when he became passionate about the subject he spoke of. He really was gorgeous..

"And that's why nobodies here," he finished off with a sigh. "They're all either sat inside, or tending to the last surviving crops at the back of the pub.

"So.. How long will you all be able to manage with the food you have?" Amy asked, just about forcing herself to think of a response that made sense.

"A few months, at most. Although everyone just ignores that," Mick shrugged before he paused, guiding them both to a halt at the end of the path. "We can go and see the caves now, if you like?"

"Yes! Yeah, I'd love to." Amy replied quickly with a grin, another blush rising on her cheeks as she felt Mick tighten his arm around her own just slightly.

"Right, then. Stay close, Amy. I don't want to lose you." Amy couldn't help the quiet giggle that escaped her lips as she nodded and stepped closer to Mick, revelling in the new proximity. They had barely taken a few steps forward before an unwelcome shout stopped them in their tracks.

"Amy! Don't go in there!" The Doctor yelled, sprinting towards the two of them.

Mick turned with Amy towards the Doctor and raised an eyebrow, watching the man hurtle to a stop just in front of them. "Oh, you must be the Doctor. Don't worry, I was just going to take her to see the caves. She's completely safe." He said with a smile.

"He's right, Doctor. I'm fine," Amy said with a firm nod and raised eyebrow at her best friend. All she wanted was a bit of time alone with Mick, or was that too much to ask?

"Amy, you can't go into that forest. It's too dangerous, you could get hurt." The Doctor said with a shake of his head, all but ignoring Mick. "Come on, I've got something to show you anyway."

"I want to go to the caves with Mick." Amy replied and frowned, giving the Doctor a stern look.

"She really would be okay.. I promise I'd protect her," Mick added with a nod.

The Doctor finally looked at him properly, studying the other man for a while before he noticed the way he had his arm looped through Amy's and the fact that Amy couldn't be standing any closer to him if she tried.. A feeling of jealousy welled in the pit of the Doctor's stomach, though he'd never admit to it. "Look, I'm sure that she probably would be safe in any other circumstance, but from what I've seen in that forest, there is no way I'm letting her go back in there."

"Doctor!"

"Listen, Amy. That forest is dangerous. It could kill you and I am not going to let that happen. Now come along, Pond."

"No! I trust Mick to keep me safe."

"Amelia-"

"Amy, maybe you should go with him.." Mick said, attempting to diffuse the situation. "I couldn't guarantee your safety one hundred percent. It's probably best if you stay away from it until your friend finds out what's really going on.."

"Thank you," the Doctor said gratefully, nodding at Mick's words before he held out his hand to the Scot. "I just want to keep you safe.." He told her truthfully, his eyes searching hers.

Amy looked up at Mick with a pout before she finally sighed and nodded, though didn't take the Doctor's hand. "Fine," she muttered, looking away from his eyes. "Mick, will you come with us?"

"Sorry Amy, but I have my own work to do. Come back to the kitchen later and we'll talk." He replied with a smile before carefully stepping away from her and sliding his arm back to his side. Instead of turning and walking away immediately though, Mick took Amy's hand and raised it to press a kiss to her knuckles. With another grin and a quick wink, he had turned around and was striding back to the pub. Amy was left standing with her cheeks as red as her hair and a wide smile on her lips, whilst the Doctor was seething. He knew he shouldn't be, but he was incredibly and maddeningly jealous.

"What's got into you?" He asked Amy as soon as they were alone, a frown on his brow.

"Nothing! Apart from a clingy friend who won't leave me alone.." Amy muttered, still staring after Mick.

"I'm trying to help you, Amelia."

"Don't call me that," she snapped, finally turning to look at him.

The Doctor rolled his eyes and gestured for the two of them to start walking back down the path. "Fine. Now come on, I want to show you something."

* * *

**I wonder what's up with Amy.. You'll have to wait to find out. Hello! This chapter took way long to write, but thanks for sticking with me and reading! Hope you enjoyed and all rates and reviews are crazily appreciated. Like.. I squeal and jump around. Over and out, my lovelies!**


	13. Chapter 13

"What am I supposed to be looking at?" Amy asked with a sigh, her arms folded across her chest. She was cold and bored and wanted to see Mick again. It wasn't fair that the Doctor had to drag her out to the herb garden at the back of the pub.

"Come on, Amy! Use your eyes!" The Doctor urged her, gesturing to ground around them.

"What?! It's just grass!" She huffed irritably, rolling her eyes before something caught her eye. "Hang on.. Is that..?"

"Here it comes.." The Doctor murmured with a grin.

"But that's not.."

"But it is."

"I can't believe hedgehogs still exist!" Amy said, one eyebrow raised as she watched the small creature forage in the areas of longer grass.

"Exactly!" The Doctor exclaimed proudly before he paused. "Wait, what?"

Amy gestured to the animal with a shrug. "Hedgehog. Over there."

"So there is.." He replied in slight surprise, raising one hand and scratching his cheek. "Probably a little different to what you know and love, though. A bit more.. Carnivorous.."

"Oh.. Right. No petting the man eating hedgehogs then."

"Not man eating, per se. More.. Man biting and man gnawing.. Man chewing and attempting to swallowing but in the process dying of over gorging itself on food?" The Doctor frowned. "No, yours was fine."

"Great.." Amy said with a shudder, frowning at the hedgehog before she turned back to the Doctor. "So what was it you were trying to show me?"

"Oh! I almost forgot," he chuckled and crouched down, gesturing for her to do the same. "Watch the grass."

"I'd rather watch the hedgehog to make sure it doesn't come any closer."

"Amy, it's probably more scared of- Scratch that. Or rather scratch you. Get it?" He looked up at her with a wide grin before sighing when he saw her humourless expression. "Ohh.. Fine. My comedy genius is wasted on you. I tell you what, if it comes any closer we can find out what the sonic does to scary hedgehogs. Deal?"

The Scot paused before she nodded and crouched down beside him, focusing on the grass once more. "Wait, is that grass.. Is it moving?" She asked with a frown. There was no breeze, so it couldn't have been the wind. Besides, the blades of grass were only moving in one direction.. Continuously.

"Yes. Well done, Pond. The grass is moving at a rate of 0.00563 millimetres per day." The Doctor replied with a nod. "We can only see it because their time streams are just a little bit different to ours. You see, whenever we land on a new planet the TARDIS will try and sync our personal time streams with the planets around us because every planet, even when it's just by a fraction of a fraction of a millisecond, has it's own time stream. On this planet the difference is quite marginal, so we're able to witness the grass moving at a faster rate."

Amy pushed her fingers through her hair as she listened to the Doctor, her brow creasing in confusion. "Hang on, if they've got a faster time stream than we do, doesn't that mean we'd get older slower here?"

"Well.. No. Not really, but good question. You might be given the impression that you're ageing slower than everyone else, but really it's just because the hours and days will seem longer to us. Imagine two people on a running track, both running at the same pace. One person runs on the lane closest to the inside of the track, whilst the other person runs on the lane closest to the outside. The person on the inside might look like they're covering more distance and like they're faster, but really, because the person on the outside runs the same distance when only getting around half the track as the other person does running around the full track, they're both moving at the same rate and cover the same distance. We're on the outside lane, everyone else is on the inside lane. Got it?"

Amy stared at the Doctor for a few moments as she attempted to process what he had told her. "I.. Think so?"

"Brilliant. It doesn't really matter, though. All you need to know is that the days here will be longer, so your sleeping pattern might go a bit.." He waved his arm around in a wiggling gesture, "you know?"

"No.. But I'm going to pretend I do because I'm scared if you do that again, you'll hit me in the face." She replied with a smirk.

"Oi! I'm in perfect control of my body, thank you." With that, the Doctor straightened his bow tie, stood up quickly, and made to turn around and walk in the direction of the path. Except he'd tried to move too quickly and had ended up getting tangled in his own legs, falling down to the ground beside Amy with a high pitched yelp.

Amy snorted and flicked his nose as she rose to her feet and reached down to offer him her hand, only just containing her laughter. "Moron," she said with a wide grin at the Doctor's flustered face. Was he scowling now?

"I am not!" Yup, he was scowling.

"In perfect control of your body, yeah?" Amy asked him, releasing a quiet laugh as she shook her head and pulled him to his feet. "Come on, you dunce."

The Doctor muttered quietly to himself as they started to walk, but Amy could only catch the odd "Humans" and "uncontrollable limbs". It only made her laugh even more.

"So.." Amy asked as they walked through the village, still holding hands. Neither of them had thought to let go. "If the grass is moving forward, what is it moving forward to? The pub?" She asked curiously, glancing to the Doctor.

"I'm not sure.. I need to work it out before it gets to wherever it wants, though. From the readings on the sonic, the grass is acting like a probe. It's seeking out information and when it finds it.. Well, remember when I told you that the trees created a sort of mine field?"

"I'm not going to like where this is headed, am I?"

"Once the grass has found the information it wants, I think the trees will explode." The Doctor finished, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand.

"That answers my question, then." Amy paused. "But.. Can't we just cut the grass? Go over it with a lawnmower or something?"

"I'm afraid that'll trigger the explosions. I don't want to interfere with the grass because if I get something wrong, well.. The whole village will blow up. I'm not putting you in that kind of danger."

"Doctor, I'm not a child. You don't have to constantly worry about me," Amy said with a frown.

"I always worry about you, you know that." He replied with a shrug and looked back at her from where he'd been studying the tree line.

"Well you don't have to! I'm an adult now, I can look after myself."

The Doctor gently pulled Amy to a stop, sighing when she refused to look at him. "Amelia.." He murmured softly, slowly raising one hand to cup her cheek. He didn't miss the way Amy closed her eyes quickly and steeled herself, only just stopping herself from flinching. "It's alright," he assured her as his thumb brushed gently along her cheekbone. "You're alright, we're both fine."

Amy sucked in a deep breath and nodded, biting down hard on her bottom lip as she tried to slow her pounding heart. This was stupid, she had no reason to be afraid of the Doctor. She knew he'd never hurt her.

"Just relax, you're completely safe."

"I know I am." She muttered in frustration. After about a minute Amy opened her eyes and smiled apologetically at the Doctor, raising her own hand to rest over his and hold it to her cheek. "Well.. Safe apart from the exploding trees and man eating hedgehogs." She said with a weak laugh.

"Hah, there you go. Wouldn't want to be too safe now, would we?" The Doctor asked with a grin, relieved that Amy had calmed down. He leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss to her forehead, the gesture giving both of them a little sense of normality.

The Doctor had been worrying about the small states of panic Amy would go into every now and then. At first he had been completely useless, not knowing what to do as she practically began to hyperventilate in bed after he had come in too quickly. They'd gotten through it by him babbling about the planets they should go to and peppering kisses across the top of her head. He'd been as careful as he could since then and the panic attacks that Amy had been subject to no less than four times a day at one point, slowly began to dwindle until they only affected her once a day or less. The Doctor had learnt what needed to be done each time through experience, and possibly through the fact that the two of them had a closer relationship with each other than they had ever had with anyone else. They could communicate without saying anything most of the time, and the Doctor used that to his advantage in these cases. Sometimes Amy wanted space, to be left alone for a few minutes. Other times she wanted to curl up in his arms and block out the rest of the world. Most of the time, it was somewhere in between the two.

"Sorry about that.." Amy muttered, her cheeks flushing a little with embarrassment.

"Hey, you know there's no need to apologise. They're not your fault." The Doctor replied with a shake of his head. "Now.. Do you want to get some lunch back at the pub? Or do you want to stay out here for a little longer?"

At that moment Amy's stomach rumbled, providing them both with an answer.

"Right then. That settles that." The Doctor chuckled, grinning as he pressed another kiss to her forehead before dropping his hand from her cheek. Amy would've pouted at the loss of contact if she wasn't trying to hide her grin at the feeling of the Doctor entwining their fingers as they began to walk.

"Alright.. But can we come back out after lunch? Maybe see if we can find the caves together?"

"Amy, I wasn't joking about not wanting you to go into the forest. You know what happened last time and I'm not sure I'll be able to find another axe." The Doctor said with a shake of his head, even though the idea of himself going alone with Amy was a little more appealing than having her go with that other boy. "What's Mick like, anyway? Did you learn anything?"

"Oh, he's.. Alright." Amy shrugged and frowned as she tried to remember her time with the man. Her memory couldn't be that bad, could it? "He told me about the villagers.. How they work together as a community and how loads of people haven't had jobs to do since the cattle disappeared."

The Doctor nodded slowly and rubbed his chin. "I heard about the animals disappearing, too. Laura was telling me about how they didn't have that much food left.."

"Do you think Laura's as nice as she seems?" Amy asked without a thought, surprising herself at her own words.

"What do you mean?" The Doctor asked curiously, raising one eyebrow.

"Well.. I don't know. I've just got a feeling." She shrugged, "Probably nothing."

"Always go with a feeling, Pond." The Doctor mused before he paused. "I'll keep an eye on her. We still need to speak to Molly, though. The village elder.. Sounds like she should know something."

Amy nodded before she paused, another blurred memory coming to focus in her mind. "Oh! Mick said something about the trees not understanding the language? That they only spoke at people, at whoever would listen, instead of to them. He said that their language was really bad.. And that they were threatening people if they tried to escape or cut them down again. Does that mean anything?"

The Doctor nodded. "Could do.. If the trees can't understand what the people here say to them, then maybe we do have a chance of getting them to move away if we can get them to understand.. It's a slim possibility, though."

"Still a possibility." Amy said, glancing over her shoulder at the looming tree line.

"True. Well then, let's get something to eat and get to work again after. Wouldn't want to keep Molly waiting, after all." The Doctor said as they neared the entrance of the pub. He held the door open for Amy before following her inside, frowning when he felt her immediately release his hand.

"Mick!" Amy grinned, racing up to the bar.

"Hello, stranger. Nice walk?" Mick asked with a matching grin, stepping out of the kitchen with three plates of food in his hands.

"Boring without you," Amy replied with a smile, hopping up onto one of the stools. She felt like a lovesick teenager.

"Oh, I'll do my best to stay with you from now on." He told her before walking to the tables to serve the food.

"Great," the Doctor muttered sarcastically under his breath, slipping up onto the stool next to Amy. "Are you feeling okay?" He asked her with a raised eyebrow, watching as she turned to keep Mick in her sight as he handed out the food to the other people in the pub. She didn't look like she even knew anyone else was there. "Amy?"

"Huh? Uh- Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." She replied with a distracted smile, barely glancing at the Doctor before she turned back to Mick.

"So about Molly.."

"Shush, hang on. Just be quiet for a minute, I want to talk to Mick." She replied with a shake of her head, holding a hand up to silence the Doctor. "Mick, can I see the kitchen?" She asked when he returned.

"Of course. Be my guest." Mick nodded, gesturing behind him. "It's only small, though. Your friend might have to stay behind."

"Oh, that's fine. You don't mind, do you Doctor?" Amy asked, but she didn't wait for a reply. She simply slid down from her stool and followed Mick around the back of the bar, disappearing into the kitchen without a second glance.

The Doctor didn't like this. Didn't like it at all. Why was Amy suddenly so interested in Mick, anyway? He contemplated this for a long while before finally sighing and looking over the food people were eating to distract himself from the unsettling thoughts swarming in his mind. A particular scent caught his attention after a few moments. "Excuse me," he said, hopping down from his stool and striding over to a middle aged man that had been digging into his food. "What's that called?"

The man looked up with a frown, seemingly annoyed that he'd been interrupted from his meal. "Bofum. It's Mick's speciality. He always makes it."

"And.. Do people eat it for breakfast, too?" The Doctor asked slowly.

"Of course they do. It's delicious." The man grunted.

"Right. Thank you," the Doctor replied before spinning on his heel and quickly making his way to the kitchen. This wasn't good. This was extremely very not good. And.. The bedroom.. The bedroom was beside the kitchen, Laura had said. Oh no.. "Amy!" He called, looking around the cramped kitchen to find it empty. But there was the sound of giggling coming from the room next door.. The Doctor opened the door without a pause and his hearts dropped at what he saw.

Amy was straddling Mick on one of the two small beds in the room, her dark blue jumper laying forgotten in a heap on the floor. Thankfully, her bra and jeans were still securely in place. Mick was looking extremely pleased with himself as he toyed with the waistband of the denim, though quickly looked up and dropped his hands when he saw the Doctor.

"Amelia, what on Earth are you doing?" The Doctor asked, working hard to keep his voice level and act like he didn't feel as if he'd just been punched in the stomach. Amy wasn't his, after all. She could technically do what she wanted.

"Doctor! I'm busy, go away!" She snapped, turning to see the Time Lord who was purposefully keeping his gaze attached to hers. He'd be in serious trouble if he let his eyes wander, plus he'd be letting Amy down. He would never take advantage of her when she was in this state. He would never take advantage of her at all.

"Amy, what did you have for breakfast?" He asked slowly, but Amy didn't reply. She was too distracted with trying to unbutton Mick's shirt.

"Bofum. She had bofum. Why?" Mick replied instead, watching the Doctor carefully.

"Her system can't handle it. She's different to you, different to both of us. One bite of that and she'd become completely obsessed with the person who gave it to her. She'd do anything to get on their good side and have some more. This isn't Amy, this isn't her choice. Her body is intoxicated." He replied a little coldly. It was hard not to blame Mick for this, even though it was himself that should've been more careful. Why hadn't he warned her about the effects of some of the food in person, rather than writing it on a note?!

Mick's face fell and the Doctor stepped forward, picking Amy's jumper up. He needed to get her somewhere quiet to calm down..

"Amy, hey, this isn't you. It's the food, I'm sorry but you have to stop." Mick told her calmly, catching her hands and gently holding them away from his shirt. "Come on. Snap out of it."

"She won't. I need to give her something that will flush the toxins from her system. Can you help me get her upstairs?" The Doctor asked, annoyed that he wouldn't be able to manage it on his own.

"Of course." Mick nodded quickly, easing Amy from his lap and onto the bed beside him. "Come on, let's go upstairs." He said, taking her hands.

"Oh, good idea." Amy said with a giggle, batting her eyelashes at him. It made the Doctor feel a little sick. Mick and Amy headed slowly up the stairs whilst the Doctor stayed behind to pour a glass of cold water and mash together two yellow coloured leaves that he'd found in one of the drawers in the kitchen. The paste that was created didn't look very appetising in the small bowl, but they should reverse the effects quickly and get Amy back to herself.. He had to admit that he was relieved she hadn't actually fallen for Mick.

The Doctor headed upstairs and was a little relieved to see Amy lying down on the bed with Mick standing beside her, though he was keeping a safe distance away. "Here.. Amy, I need you to eat this." He told her, walking past the other man and crouching beside the bed to feed his companion the yellow paste.

"Doctor.. That looks disgusting.." She complained, shaking her head slowly.

"Please. For me? It'll make you feel better, I promise." He murmured softly.

Amy paused before she finally nodded and sighed quietly. She ate the paste as quickly as possible so she wouldn't have to taste it, but even after gulping down the water the aftertaste still lingered on her tongue.

"Better?" The Doctor asked softly, placing the bowl and glass into Mick's waiting hands.

"Mm.. What.. What was that?" Amy asked, rubbing her eyes and looking around in slight confusion.

"Just a something to help with the side effects of the food. Here, you might want to put this on." The Doctor murmured, offering her the dark jumper she'd previously taken off.

Amy's eyes widened at the sight of her clothing and she quickly pulled it to her chest, but relaxed when she saw Mick had left. The Doctor had seen her in her underwear before, so even if it was a little awkward, it wasn't as embarrassing. "Why haven't I got that on?" She asked, pulling her jumper on. "I.. No one tried to.."

"Amy, don't worry. I promise, nothing happened. The bofum you ate this morning caused you to.. React in a certain way. To my understanding you approached Mick and were quite.. Demanding with your requests. No one saw anything but me and Mick, and the only thing that you took off was your jumper. I'm sorry I took so long to realise.." He murmured softly, gently squeezing her hand.

"I.. Right.. No, no it wasn't your fault. I'm okay." Amy said with a shake of her head and a small smile. The smile faltered as soon as it appeared on her lips, however.

"Hey, hey it's alright.." The Doctor murmured quickly when he saw her bottom lip trembling. He didn't hesitate to pull Amy into his arms and hug her protectively, hiding her from the world around them.

"I know, I know, I just.. I'm sorry.." She whispered, her voice cracking.

"Don't be," the Doctor said with a shake of his head, turning to kiss her temple as he began to rub his knuckles in circles on her back.

They stayed like that for a while, the Doctor having shifted to sit on the bed beside her at some point to enable them to hug a little more easily. When Amy finally lifted her head from where it was buried in the crook of the Doctor's neck, she seemed a little happier.

"Ready for lunch?" The Doctor asked with a soft smile which only grew when Amy nodded and returned his smile with a grin.

"Starving."

The two of them untangled their bodies and eased themselves to their feet, but ensured they were still touching each other in some way. Whether that was the Doctor's hand on Amy's shoulder or Amy's fingertips brushing down the Doctor's shirt and straightening his bow tie, didn't matter.

"Sure you don't need a few more minutes?" The Doctor asked Amy as he stepped towards the door, his hand gentle but tight around hers.

"Sure I'm sure. Let's go." She nodded and stepped through the door the Doctor had pulled open, but ensured that their fingers were entwined before they began to walk downstairs. She had never needed the Doctor more and of course, he was right beside her.

* * *

**First of all- Pretty soon I'm going to be adding a cover image to this story and if all goes to plan, it'll be a piece done by this wonderful person- Moony92 on Tumblr. Each piece is incredible and you should all go and look at them. Now I have no idea how this happened so quickly, but hey. I had a request and I wanted to challenge myself, so here we are! Hope you guys enjoyed it and please rate and review :)always appreciated! **


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